Gary Neville has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to "stand up now and speak" after the Manchester United striker revealed that "the truth" about his future will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Ronaldo, who rejoined United almost a year ago from Italian outfit Juventus, expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford at the start of July, meaning speculation about his future has been rife all summer. He missed the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia because of personal reasons and did not start the Premier League opener against Brighton.
The striker, who did return to the starting line-up for Saturday's 4-0 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, wants to leave Old Trafford in pursuit of Champions League football. United will compete in the Europa League this season after finishing sixth in the Premier League last term.
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Ronaldo is also understood to be "upset" by the fact the squad has been forced to accept a 25 per cent reduction in their salaries, following their relegation to the Europa League. Several clubs have been linked with signing the 37-year-old, including Chelsea and Bayern Munich, but they have since shelved their interest.
The Portugal captain, however, has revealed on Instagram that he will soon reveal the "truth" behind reports that have emerged over the summer. It has prompted Neville to speak up and criticise his former teammate, questioning why he is waiting even longer to clarify his situation when United are in desperate need of honesty and transparency after a poor start to the season.
Neville posted on Twitter: "Why does the greatest player of all time (in my opinion) have to wait two weeks to tell Manchester United fans the truth? Stand up now and speak.
"The club is in crisis and it needs leaders to lead. He's the only one who can grab this situation by the scruff of the neck!"
In the Instagram post, in which he was replying to a friend, Ronaldo said: "They know the truth when they interview in a couple of weeks. The media is telling lies.
"I have a notebook and in the last few months of the 100 news I made, only five were right. Imagine how it is. Stick with that tip."
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