Cristiano Ronaldo has said Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, do not care about the club – and has claimed senior figures doubted him when he said he could not attend a pre-season tour because his daughter was seriously ill.
Ronaldo accused United of betraying him – claiming the club tried to force him out – and said he has no respect for manager Erik ten Hag in the first clips released by TalkTV from a 90-minute interview with Piers Morgan.
The Portugal captain insists he does not speak to the family, who have owned United since 2005, and said they do not have the club’s best interests at heart.
“The Glazers, they don’t care about the club. I mean, professional sport, as you know, Manchester is a marketing club,” he said.
“They will get money from the marketing – the sport, it’s, they don’t really care, in my opinion.
“The fans, they’re always right. I think the fans should know the truth, should know that the players want the best for the club. I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United.”
He said the issues within the club are preventing it from reaching the top level.
In one of the clips from the interview, the 37-year-old alleged that two senior figures at Old Trafford treated him with suspicion when he said his daughter, Bella, was sick with bronchitis – just three months after her twin brother had died.
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Ronaldo seems surprised by brief handshake
“I spoke with the director and the president of Man Utd and they kind of didn’t believe that something was going wrong, which made me feel bad,” Ronaldo said.
“I am never, ever going to change the health of my family for a football. Never. Now or 10 years behind or forward and it is something that really hurt me because they doubt my words.
“That I struggle, especially Bella and Geo who had one week in hospital because of a big problem and I didn’t go to the pre-season tour because of that.
“I think it was not fair to leave my family for the pre-season. This is why I didn’t go.”
Ronaldo also took aim in the interview at former United team-mates Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville.
Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo were teammates
He said the duo, who have criticised the Portugal attacker in recent weeks, were “not my friends”.
“You should ask this question to him (Rooney),” Ronaldo said when asked about his former colleague’s comments. “But I don’t know, I don’t know why he criticises me so bad.
“Probably, because he finished his career in thirties. So, I’m still playing high level. I’m not gonna say that I’m looking better than him, which is true, but…!”
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A statement from the club, released on Monday afternoon, read: “Manchester United notes the media coverage regarding an interview by Cristiano Ronaldo. The club will consider its response after the full facts have been established.
“Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, belief and togetherness being built among the players, manager, staff, and fans.”
