Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed explosively that he cannot respect coach Erik ten Hag.
The 37-year-old legend could have played his last game for Manchester United after missing Sunday’s win at Fulham due to illness.
The Portuguese icon made a stunning return to Old Trafford in September 2021 from Juventus, 11 years after leaving for Real Madrid.
He was top scorer with 24 goals for the club last season, but their failure to qualify for the Champions League led to him wanting to leave in the summer.
After his much-publicised failure to secure a move in the summer, Ronaldo has been forced to play a largely bench role this season in the Premier League.
With his match action largely limited to cups, he has only managed to score three times since Ten Hag took charge at the start of the season.
Tensions between Ronaldo and the Dutchman have been building for months and boiled over last month with a row after the striker was sent off and refused to come off the bench against Tottenham, leading to his suspension by the manager.
However, in an exclusive interview with Sun Sport columnist Piers Morgan, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner told Ten Hag: “I don’t respect him because he doesn’t respect me.”
“If you don’t respect me, I will never respect you. They have shown no mercy even to my sick daughter. “Manchester United betrayed me.”
Ronaldo returned to the Theater of Dreams looking to help bring the club back to the top of world football.
He has had three coaches in just over a year. Firstly, his former team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sacked just weeks after Ronaldo signed, has nothing but respect for him.
For the other two, last season’s Ralf Rangnick and Ten Hag, he has little to say.
Of Rangnick, who had not managed a football team for more than a decade, he said: “If you’re not even a manager, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? I had never even heard of him,” Ronaldo continued.
