Liverpool Jamie Carragher has strongly criticised Cristiano Ronaldo for his comments about Manchester United.
The future of the Portuguese international has been the subject of intense debate ever since he re-signed for the club in the summer of 2021. Ronaldo has started just four Premier League matches this term, and has often been dropped by manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo has given an interview with Piers Morgan for Talk TV, where he accuses the club of “betraying” him and says he has “no respect” for Ten Hag. The comments made by the 37-year-old have caused a stir across the world of football .
Carragher took to Twitter to slam Ronaldo for his comments about Man United and Ten Hag. Now, the former Liverpool defender has given an interview with Sky Sports to provide further comment on where he stands on debate.
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Reaction to Ronaldo’s interview
“I thought it was bizarre, bang out of order considering the timing of it. On the back of Manchester United fans at the ground at Fulham, at home, delighted to get a goal [with the] last kick of the game gets a real buzz for them and excitement for next month when the league’s going to start again.
“What a way to finish off, they should be enjoying themselves. And then the Ronaldo interview comes out and then boom, all the talk is negativity, it’s not about the team, it’s not about the manager, it’s all about Cristiano Ronaldo.
“It’s felt like that since he came back, it’s basically been the Cristiano Ronaldo show, sometimes that’s been good, last season on the pitch got a lot of goals.
“This season because he’s not played a lot, it seems like he’s craving the attention he can’t get because he’s not on the pitch.
“I’m not sure where this disrespect comes from from Erik ten Hag, I don’t get it at all. I think he’s disrespecting Man United and Erik ten Hag, he wanted to leave in the summer, that’s football, people want to leave.
“He wanted to leave [and] there were no takers, maybe because of his wages, a price Manchester United wanted. I think he knows that it will be the same in this transfer window and the next one in the summer.”
How should Man United respond?
“I think they should sack him or move him on whether that’s giving him a free transfer because at the moment, they’re trying to build something that’s not ready to win the Premier League or the Champions League right now.
“They’ve got a manager in the next two or three years who will want to really push on and Ronaldo won’t be around, he’s going to be a distraction, this isn’t going to go away.
“As soon as a player comes out and says they don't respect the manager, how’s that going to work when he walks back in on the first day for the start of the season again after the World Cup? It can’t work.
“We’ll be looking for interviews from the manager on Ronaldo, you don’t need the hassle and that’s why I said 18 months ago it’s a massive mistake to bring Ronaldo back to United because this was always going to happen.
“It was always going to end like this, he couldn’t be a sub - which I admire, he’s got that drive and that’s what makes him the great player he is - but it was always going to happen and blow up in United’s face and it was a massive mistake to bring him in the first place.”
Is Ronaldo well respected?
“I think Ronaldo gets respect from everyone, he’s one of the greatest players of all time. I’m sure Erik ten Hag had that respect from the start but there hasn’t been respect going the other way in terms of he wanted to leave, he has refused to go on as substitute, left before the game finished, he also did that in pre-season.
“Erik ten Hag made him captain at Aston Villa so I don’t get this lack of respect either way really. But I think the respect for Ronaldo was there for everybody to see but I think the manager has played an absolute blinder in how he’s played it.
“He’s not got involved with it too much, he disciplined him when he didn’t want to come on, that sent a message to the rest of the dressing room.
“Yes it’s a nightmare for United right now because the focus isn’t on the team but I think Erik ten Hag can sit down and watch this play out, he’s hurt himself now, Ronaldo, it’s not up to the club, or the manager to say anything negative. He’s dug his own hole and the fans aren’t daft."
What about Ronaldo’s legacy?
“It will never be lost, never be ruined, it may be tainted slightly because you can never forget what Ronaldo did for Manchester United, in that Manchester United team that won the league, Champions League, he’s a legendary figure at Man United.
“When the dust settles I think people will go back to that, there have been players who left at different times for different reasons, it hasn’t gone well or the exit they want.
“People look back and look at the big picture, you assess Ronaldo as an icon from the day he arrived to the day he leaves, there’s a lot more good than bad.
“Right now fans may be emotional, in particular on social media, when the dust settles he’ll still have a great legacy.”
How do you feel about him ‘blanking’ you?
“I started the trend and now it’s gone out of the legs. Gary Neville’s in the gang, hopefully we’ll get a few more in the gang before Ronaldo leaves.
“I’m sure he’ll do it to a few pundits at the World Cup, I’m sure me and Gary won’t be on our own.
“I actually liked it, if I was a player and I had pundits having a pop at me, I wouldn’t be giving them hugs and kisses, that’s one of the occasions I was in agreement with Ronaldo.”
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