Piers Morgan has branded Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag a clown after the Dutchman claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo needed to be in better shape while at the club.
Ronaldo left Old Trafford under a storm prior to the World Cup after conducting an interview with Morgan on the presenter's TalkTV show. During the conversation, the 37-year-old criticised Ten Hag as well as the Glazers, the club in general and former teammates Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville who he deemed unfairly targeted him.
United came to the decision to part ways with the Portuguese forward making Ronaldo the only free agent at the tournament in Qatar. The Reds are currently in Spain undergoing warm weather training as they prepare for the return of competitive domestic football.
ALSO READ: Why did Ronaldo leave United?
Ahead of their match with Real Betis on Saturday, Ten Hag sat down with the media, including the MEN, and was quizzed on Ronaldo's departure. When asked if it would be easier for United to move forward without the 37-year-old, the Dutch manager said: "When he is in good shape, he is a good player and he could help us to get back and achieve the objectives we have.
"That is quite clear. But he wasn’t."
Having seen those comments relayed on social media, Morgan leapt to the defence of Ronaldo and criticised Ten Hag in the process. In a tweet, he wrote: "‘When he’s in good shape, he’s a good player.’
"Hard to imagine why Ronaldo felt disrespected by this clown, isn’t it.." Ronaldo was once more in the headlines for his behaviour on Tuesday during Portugal's clash with Switzerland.
Ronaldo was dropped to the bench for the fixture which the Portuguese won 6-1. The 37-year-old's replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick on the night but all was not well post-match.
United's former forward was seen leaving the celebrations at the end of the game early and reports after the fixture from Portugal claimed that Ronaldo had threatened to 'walk out' from the World Cup camp. Portugal's FA has since denied these claims.
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