Richard Keys has told Piers Morgan he should have advised Cristiano Ronaldo against his "badly-timed" interview after the backlash led to his bitter Manchester United exit.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner teared into United and their treatment of him in an explosive chat with Morgan ahead of the World Cup, with the first snippets of the bombshell interview coming to light just hours after the Red Devils had secured a 2-1 win over Fulham without him.
Ronaldo slammed United manager Erik ten Hag in the interview, accusing the Dutchman of "disrespect", while also taking aim at the club's owners the Glazers, ex-boss Ralf Rangnick and club legends Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville.
Ronaldo received heavy criticism for his conduct in the two-part interview, which caused United to terminate his contract by mutual consent. But Keys decided to fire back the responsibility to Morgan for the timing of the interview, with the former Sky Sports man insisting he should've waited to speak to his close friend Ronaldo.
"I think it's badly-timed, I didn't think he needed to volunteer for the aggravation that it's brought him," he told Morgan. "Were I you, I would've said to him, 'Listen I'm very, very keen that you sit down and talk with me but let's get you sorted out first.
"Because we don't want to taint the legacy. We don't want you leaving Manchester United under a cloud and there's no reason that you should.'"
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United moved quickly to resolve the saga, confirming Ronaldo's exit 15 months after the forward re-joined the club from Juventus. A statement read: "Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.
"The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future. Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch."
Ronaldo produced an impressive return last season, with the forward netting 24 times in 38 matches despite United finishing in sixth place. However, it has been suggested that Ronaldo's legacy at Old Trafford has been forever tarnished due to the interview, where he claimed he was "betrayed" by the club and several figures who tried to force him out.
When quizzed by Keys and Andy Gray about whether the interview has tainted Ronaldo's legacy, Morgan replied: "No I don’t think so. I don’t think a few months' problems with Erik ten Hag and the coach he'd never heard of, Rangnick, is going to make any difference to the legacy of Ronaldo."
