Former Tottenham Hotspur and England manager Glenn Hoddle believes Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview with Piers Morgan could play into Portugal's hands at the World Cup in Qatar.
Just hours after United had signed off for the World Cup with a dramatic 2-1 win over Fulham last Sunday afternoon, Morgan confirmed that he had conducted an interview with the 37-year-old. During the sit-down chat with the former Good Morning Britain host, Ronaldo slammed United and manager Erik ten Hag, claiming that the club had 'betrayed' him and that Ten Hag had shown 'no respect' towards him.
Following the airing of the full interview on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, United, as reported by the Manchester Evening News on Friday, are considering terminating Ronaldo's contract and sacking him. It is highly unlikely that he will play for the club again, such was the nature of his comments.
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Ronaldo was also asked about his future, but stopped short of giving any details on what might happen next in relation to his career at club-level, insisting all of his focus was on the World Cup in Qatar. The showpiece event will mark Ronaldo's fifth and probably final World Cup, meaning he will have aspirations of signing off in style.
And for former Spurs man Hoddle, Ronaldo's recent outburst could give Portugal a boost. He believes that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will use the tournament to try and prove United wrong, in the sense that he can still deliver the goods at the highest level.
"This World Cup coming up as it is with what's happened to him at club level, I think he's chomping on the bit," Hoddle told the Metro, via Betfair. "I think there's a real determination about Ronaldo to prove Man United wrong, to prove to everyone in the world that he's still one of the best players in the world.
"It's pretty obvious his United story has come to an end, and he'll close his book, but I think more importantly he's going to use that incentive for what's happened for the World Cup. So I think this has come at a great time for Portugal and they can feed off that.
"And they have a strong team as well, the XI that they put out will have a nice balance to it and if they give him the opportunities, if they create a lot for him, he could have a wonderful tournament. For me, he’s still one of the best finishers that United have got.
"I look at other players and think, 'You know what, Ronaldo would have put that ball in the back of the net had he been given that chance', and I think that’s what he could possibly do for Portugal."
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