Manchester United have begun the process of sacking Cristiano Ronaldo following his bombshell interview in which he slammed the club.
United have been taking legal advice and it is understood lawyers have told them they have grounds to terminate Ronaldo's deal for breach of contract.
In his explosive interview on TalkTV, Ronaldo accused United’s hierarchy of trying to force him out and claimed he had no respect for boss Erik ten Hag. United are confident they have grounds for cancelling Ronaldo’s deal, which has six months left to run, for bringing the club into disrepute.
United are aware Ronaldo wants to leave and are willing to grant him his wish - but only on their terms. After his brutal trashing of United, the club are unwilling to pay up his contract and want a swift termination of his existing deal. If Ronaldo and his camp take their own action against United, the club have vowed to explore all options available.
Ronaldo and his representatives are certain to take legal action to counter United’s move, which will cost the 37-year-old superstar around £16million in lost wages.
United issued a statement which read: "Manchester United has this morning initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo ’s recent media interview. We will not be making further comment until this process reaches its conclusion."
Although United would not expand on what constitutes “appropriate steps”, sources have indicated that they are looking to impose the ultimate sanction on Ronaldo.
Among the many controversial comments made in his interview, Ronaldo claimed there had been “zero progress” at United since he left them for Real Madrid in 2009.
United’s hierarchy, comprising owner Joel Glazer, chief executive Richard Arnold, football director John Murtough and boss Ten Hag have been locked in talks over how to deal with Ronaldo in the wake of his interview, in which he claimed the club “betrayed” him.
After taking such a hardline stance on Ronaldo when he refused to come on against Tottenham and left Old Trafford before the final whistle in United’s 2-0 win, Ten Hag has told bosses there is no way the 37-year-old can play for him again.
United’s players do not expect to see Ronaldo again after the World Cup, with the squad having grown tired of his whining and posturing over his perceived mistreatment, according to sources.
After refusing to come off the bench against Spurs, Ronaldo was left out of United’s squad for their Premier League trip to Chelsea last month as punishment, with Ten Hag claiming he had to take such action to maintain discipline within his squad.
Although Ronaldo took to Instagram to offer a semi-apology for refusing to come on against Spurs, blaming it on “the heat of the moment”, his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan has ended any hope of him being welcomed back into the United fold.
United issued a response in the wake of Ronaldo’s interview, stating the club “will consider its response after the full facts have been established” - with the termination of the superstar's deal now their only course of action.
