In the 2022/23 season, Cristiano Ronaldo has not played frequently for Manchester United, now coached by Erik Ten Hag. In an interview with the British newspaper The Sunthe Portuguese star said he felt “betrayed” by the club and that Ten Hag and others tried to force his departure.
“Yes, not only the coach (he tried to force out Cristiano Ronaldo), but also two or three other people at the club,” the 37-year-old began.
“I felt betrayed. I felt that some people don’t want me, not just this year but also last year.”
Cristiano Ronaldo also claimed that he has not seen “evolution” at Manchester United since the retirement of historic manager Sir Alex Ferguson. As an example, the Portuguese cited the choice of Ralf Rangnick as interim coach after the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the 2021/22 season.
“I don’t know what’s going on but since Sir Alex Ferguson left I haven’t seen any evolution at the club, progress has been zero. For example, after sacking Solskjaer they brought in a sporting director, Ralf Rangnick, something nobody understood. This guy is not even a coach. A big club like Manchester United brings a sporting director not only surprised me, but the whole world”, he said.
At the time he accepted to take over Manchester United, Rangnick was at Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia, as director of football. He also worked at Red Bull clubs such as Leipzig and Salzburg, where he also worked as a coach. In addition, he coached Schalke 04, Hoffenheim, Hannover and Stuttgart. Currently, after leaving United, he is in charge of the Austria national team.
Cristiano Ronaldo also criticized Manchester United’s infrastructure. According to the Portuguese, “nothing has changed” since his first spell ended in 2009.
“Nothing has changed. The pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym, some technologies, the kitchen. They stopped in time, which surprised me a lot. I thought I was going to see different things, as I mentioned before, technologies, infrastructure. But, unfortunately , I saw a lot of things that I saw when I was 20, 21, 22, 23 years old, so it surprised me a lot”, highlighted the striker.
In 2022/23, Cristiano Ronaldo was in the starting line-up in just 10 of the 23 games that Manchester United played (amounting to three goals scored and two assists. In the last two games, including, the Portuguese was not even listed.
Check out the official statement from Manchester United released on the subject:
“Manchester United notes media coverage of a Cristiano Ronaldo interview. The club will consider its response once the full facts are established. Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, belief and unity that are being built between the players, coach, staff and fans”.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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