Manchester United react to Cristiano Ronaldo's bombshell interview; Here's what we know

Manchester United have reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo's bombshell interview, where he said that he does not respect manager Erik ten Hag and the club has not evolved since the exit of Sir Alex Ferguson.

In an official statement released on its website, Manchester United said that it will take an action after obtaining all the facts.

"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," the statement read further.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo opened up on exactly how unhappy he has been with life at the Premier League club.

"I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never going to have respect for you," said Ronaldo, who also slammed the club for betraying him.

"I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. This is why I come to Manchester United. But you have some things inside that don't help (us) reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal . . . a club with this dimension should be top of the tree in my opinion and they are not unfortunately," added Ronaldo.

The five-time Ballon d'or winner also confirmed that Ten Hag and a few hierarchy at Manchester United tried their best to remove the legendary forward from the club last summer.

Manchester United 'betrayed' me, says Cristiano Ronaldo

When asked by Morgan if Manchester United's hierarchy were trying to force him out of the club, Ronaldo replied, "Yes, not only the coach, but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed. I don't care. People should listen to the truth. Yes I felt betrayed and I felt like some people don't want me here, not only this year but last year too."

Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester United for his second stint last season, has stained his relationship with the club to say the least. The Portuguese forward has spent majority of the time this season on the bench and has been evidently left agitated on several occasions on being sidelined. He even refused to come in as a late substitute in a Premier League fixture against Tottenham, which saw Ten Hag drop him altogether from the subsequent away game against Chelsea.

In the ongoing season, Ronaldo has made 16 appearances for Manchester United, out of which 12 have come in the Premier League, where the player has started only four. Ronaldo has so far scored three goals and has made two assists.

Manchester United have not won a trophy in the last five seasons. Their last Premier League title victory came under Sir Alex, whose final season in charge was in 2013.

Ronaldo, who moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009, also claimed that Sir Alex is just as concerned with the Red Devils as he is and that anyone who disagrees is "blind."

"He knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be. He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don't see that, it's because they don't want to see; they are blind," said Ronaldo.

Ronaldo: Had never heard of Rangnick before Man Utd appointed him interim boss

Meanwhile, the forward went on to explain how "dated" the club is right now. He revealed that the training center is nearly the same as when he left well over a decade ago. Ronaldo also criticized Manchester United's decision to appoint Ralf Rangnick as their interim boss following Ole Gunnar Solskajer's sacking in the middle of the 2021-22 campaign.

"I don't know what's going on but since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution at the club, the progress was zero. For example, we have an interesting point how a club like Manchester United, after they sacked Ole, they bring sporting director Ralf Rangnick – which is something that nobody understands. This guy is not even a coach. A big club like Manchester United bring in a sporting director [as coach], it surprised not only me but all of the world.

"If you're not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? I'd never even heard of him," added Ronaldo further in the same interview.