Cristiano Ronaldo has praised Portugal’s 4-0 friendly win over Nigeria ahead of their World Cup opener with Ghana on Thursday.
The Manchester United superstar missed the clash due to gastroenteritis but his country eased to a fine win with Bruno Fernandes scoring two goals, one of which was set up by clubmate Diogo Dalot.
Ronaldo had trained with the Portugal team on Monday before being ruled out of the friendly after missing United ’s final two games before the break. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old’s time at Old Trafford looks to be up following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag has already explained why United are better off without Ronaldo
His criticism of the club and Erik ten Hag sent shockwaves through the fanbase with United sources telling the Manchester Evening News that they refute several claims. As a result of the comments made in the 90-minute sit-down, the club are considering sacking the attacker.
On Friday, United released a new statement saying they had "initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent media interview". It added: "We will not be making further comment until this process reaches its conclusion.”
Ronaldo - who wishes to retire at around 40 - confirmed that Qatar is likely to be his final World Cup as a player, the veteran going into the history books as one of only a handful of players to play in five separate finals. He is expected to feature against Ghana on Thursday if fit enough, although has not played since the 3-1 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa on November 6.
Ronaldo sent a message to his teammates after the 4-0 win against Nigeria, hailing them for an accomplished performance. Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “Great test of strength yesterday at Alvalade, with our boys showing their full personality.
“Clear display of talent and ability, one more reason to carry with us all the World's dreams! Wherever, Portugal, always!” Commenting on Portugal’s World Cup chances in the interview with Morgan, Ronaldo added: “I am very optimistic. We have a fantastic coach, we have a good generation of football players.
“I'm looking forward to an amazing World Cup. It's gonna be tough. Extremely difficult. But everything is possible, of course we're gonna compete."
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