MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM
\nCristiano Ronaldo said he felt \u201cbetrayed\u201d by Manchester United as he claimed manager Erik ten Hag and other senior executives are trying to force him out of the club in an explosive interview on Sunday. The five-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner has been a peripheral figure on the field for United since Ten Hag took charge in May. Ronaldo was disciplined after refusing to come on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Tottenham last month, but had returned to the side in recent weeks and even captained the Red Devils in a 3-1 loss at Aston Villa last weekend.
\nHowever, the 37-year-old was absent from the squad in Sunday\u2019s 2-1 victory over Fulham in United\u2019s last match before a six-week break for the World Cup.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t have respect for him because he doesn\u2019t show respect for me,\u201d Ronaldo said of Ten Hag in an interview with the Piers Morgan Uncensored TV show.
\n\u201cNot only the coach but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed.\u201d
\nWhen quizzed again if senior club executives were trying to oust him, Ronaldo replied: \u201cYes, I felt betrayed and I felt like some people don\u2019t want me here, not only this year but last year too.\u201d
\nRonaldo returned to Old Trafford in August 2021 from Juventus.
\nHis first spell at United had been a glorious one under the tutelage of Alex Ferguson, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League and the first of his Ballon d\u2019Or crowns as the best player in the world.
\nDespite his 24 goals in all competitions last season, United endured a terrible campaign as they finished sixth in the Premier League and failed to qualify for the Champions League.
\nRonaldo then reportedly tried to engineer an exit before the start of this season, but no agreement could be found with another club.
\n\u201cSince Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed,\u201d said Ronaldo on what he found on his return to United.
\n\u201cI want the best for the club. This is why I come to Manchester United.
\n\u201cBut you have some things inside that don\u2019t help (us) reach the top level as (Manchester) 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.\u201d
\nUnited are fifth in the Premier League, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM Cristiano Ronaldo said he felt \u201cbetrayed\u201d by Manchester United as he claimed manager Erik ten Hag and other senior executives are trying to force him out of the club in an explosive interview on Sunday. The five-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner has been a peripheral figure on the field for United since Ten […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-295242","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n