Cristiano Ronaldo has stated that he feels "betrayed" by Manchester United in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
The megastar claims that the club are trying to force him out and making him feel like a "black sheep," saying on Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV: "Not only the coach, but the other two or three guys around that are around the club."
When Morgan asked if he feels that senior executives at Old Trafford are trying to get rid of him, Ronaldo replied: "Honestly, I shouldn't say that... don't know... But listen I don't care, I'm always... People should listen to the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed and I feel that some people don't want me here, not only this year but last year, too."
The former Real Madrid hero - enduring 'the most difficult period of his life' - also hit out at manager Erik ten Hag, via The Sun, saying: "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 gonna have respect for you."
Ex-Red Devils teammate Wayne Rooney - a recent critic of his - has also felt his wrath, as he added: "I don't know why he criticises me so badly. Probably because he finished his career and I'm still playing at high level. I'm not going to say that I'm looking better than him. Which is true."
Sir Alex Ferguson's feelings on Ronaldo and United's situation are yet to emerge, but his old prodigy has hinted that he's on his side. "He knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be," Ronaldo declared when asked what Ferguson might think. "He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don't see that… it's because they don't want to see; they are blind."
Ronaldo has endured a rollercoaster season with the Red Devils, although his desire to depart in the January transfer window remains. The Portugal captain, who's set to compete at his fifth World Cup later this month, was recently suspended and fined in the region of £1million for leaving a match early, having refused to come as a late substitute at the request of Ten Hag.
The 37-year-old has missed United's last two matches due to illness, having last featured for Ten Hag's side during their wretched 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa last Sunday. Ronaldo didn't travel to west London this weekend as the Red Devils beat Fulham 2-1, as the Premier League now pauses for six weeks due to the World Cup taking place in Qatar.
Having expressed his desire to leave the club in private before United's pre-season tour began in July, the five-time Ballon d'Or winners' interview is the first time that he's gone public with his feelings barring a telling Instagram comment posted back in August which slammed media reports surrounding his future.
"They know the truth when they interview in a couple of weeks," Ronaldo wrote before the summer transfer window closed without him getting a move. "The media is telling lies. I have a notebook and in the last few months of the 100 news I made, only 5 were right. Imagine how it is. Stick with that tip."
Ronaldo was first interviewed by Morgan for Good Morning Britain while he was playing for his former club Juventus. It was one of the Portuguese's most personal conversations within the public eye, opening up on the death of his father when he was only 20 years old, his family life and deep-rooted career ambitions.
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Former teammate Gary Neville - who played alongside Ronaldo during his first spell at Old Trafford from 2003 to 2009 - recently had his say on the striker's future, hoping that he'd indeed do a tell-all interview before leaving the Red Devils for the second time in his prestigious career.
"Do you know I think he should do? I think he should actually speak," Neville declared on The Overlap Fan Debate. "No one has heard him speak for six months. You don't hear from him." The ex-United captain went on to praise boss Erik ten Hag's handling of the tricky situation. "I think he's handled it so well," Neville added.
"I even thought Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] to an extent and [Ralf] Rangnick last season handle him quite well at times when he obviously wasn't happy. I think Erik ten Hag has handled it far better than most of us would have handled it. He's basically sailing the ship into the shore as I see it.
"I said a couple of weeks ago, I hope there has been a deal done that says in January you can leave. For both of them, Cristiano Ronaldo and the club. But they should make sure it looks really good until then so doesn't look like a mess. I am hoping this is what it is. He's playing, he's captain. It looks like they smoothed things over and then he leaves in January."
