Roy Keane believes that Cristiano Ronaldo should have left Manchester United in the summer after it was confirmed the Portuguese star would immediately depart Old Trafford.
The Red Devils confirmed on Tuesday evening that Ronaldo's contract had been terminated by mutual consent, 15 months after he re-joined the club from Juventus. Ronaldo's abrupt exit comes after he conducted an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, where the five-time Ballon d'Or winner took a swipe at the club, Erik ten Hag and the Glazers.
It looked inevitable that Ronaldo was going to leave the Red Devils and United released a statement which thanked the forward for his "immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford". Ronaldo scored 145 goals in 346 appearances for the Red Devils and the club "wishes him and his family well for the future".
Keane has given his reaction to the news whilst covering the World Cup and admitted his departure feels like a "divorce" following Ronaldo's return to the club in 2021. The 37-year-old scored 24 times in 38 matches for United last season.
He told ITV : "I think it was on the cards for the last few months, the interview was the tipping point for him. But that’s it, life goes on, Manchester United are a great club, Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player.
"It was like a divorce, end of a relationship, I know how that feels, you go your separate ways, life goes on, great player for Man United probably should’ve left in the club in the summer but whether that’s the players fault or the club’s, it was never going to happen.
"The new manager was never going to play him, you can’t have Ronaldo as a sub or a fringe player, it’s just not right, it’s just not right, it’s sad but these things happen."
Where will Cristiano Ronaldo play his club football next? Let us know in the comments below!
Despite his goals last season, Ronaldo has become a bit-part player under new boss Erik ten Hag, who handed him limited minutes at the start of the campaign due to him returning late for pre-season. Ronaldo made attempts to engineer a move elsewhere but failed to do so before the transfer window, while United refused to let him go.
Keane added: "It’s better for everyone, the club, listen you don’t want that carrying on into the second half of the season. Ronaldo’s obviously ran out of patience, he knew he wasn’t going to be a regular.
"I think it’s straight forward, people say ‘is he reputation tarnished?’ Man United fans aren’t daft. Ronaldo’s one of the greatest players, it’s not ended well but that’s life, it’s happen to previous [players].
"I go back to it, a guy that scores goals for fun, I don’t want to go down the road of pressing. The manager was never going to play him, whatever the system, high press, Ronaldo was never going to do that, he didn’t come to the club to do that.
"He came back to the club to get on the end of things, score you goals, bringing a player back who is 36, 37. So the manager in the summer, everyone knew he wasn’t going to play, let him go in the summer before it gets messy."
