Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United career is all but over after he gave an explosive interview to Piers Morgan.
His return to Old Trafford started in promising fashion but looks to be ending in disaster, with it appearing unlikely he will ever play for the club again. Ronaldo returned to much fanfare at the start of last season, but has seen the Red Devils struggle to perform since then.
His interview with Morgan has left him with few friends in the United dressing room, with his team-mates said to be upset by his stinging criticism. Here, Mirror Football looks into his second spell at Old Trafford and where everything went wrong for the 37-year-old.
Summer 2021 - Ronaldo returns
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United on 31 August 2021 in an initial £13million move from Juventus. He had looked likely to join Manchester City, but conversations with Rio Ferdinand and Sir Alex Ferguson led to him to arriving at Old Trafford.
"Manchester United is a club that has always had a special place in my heart, and I have been overwhelmed by all the messages I have received. I cannot wait to play at Old Trafford in front of a full stadium and see all the fans again," he said after making the move.
He started off in the best possible way, scoring two goals in a 4-1 win over Newcastle in his first game back. He followed that up with an equaliser against West Ham a week later to raise hopes of a successful season.
HAVE YOUR SAY! How should Manchester United deal with Cristiano Ronaldo after his interview? Comment below.
November 2021 - Solskjaer sacked
Things quickly began to fall apart for Ronaldo and United, though, with the attacker going four games without a goal following his strike against West Ham. That also coincided with a dreadful downturn in form for the Red Devils, which ultimately led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer getting sacked.
Reports at the time suggested that Ronaldo had played a hand in the Norwegian departing, with his agent seeking reassurances action would be taken. He was then dropped by caretaker Michael Carrick for his first game in charge as United drew with Chelsea.
"It is a decision to pick a team, [I] don't think it needs any more drama than that. Everyone is fine, all the boys who have come out of the team have been terrific, Cristiano included, and [he is] ready to come on if needed," Carrick told Sky Sports.
December 2021 - Back in form
Carrick restored Ronaldo to the starting line-up for his next game, with the attacker scoring twice as United defeated Arsenal. He then scored his first goal under Ralf Rangnick as the Red Devils won away at Norwich.
One of Ronaldo's brightest moments under Rangnick came in the win over Burnley in late December. He scored once and assisted another as United claimed a comfortable win over the Clarets.
January 2022 - Trouble in paradise
The new year started with Ronaldo captaining United in a dreadful defeat by Wolves. In his following game, he was hauled off with 20 minutes remaining, a decision he was clearly unhappy with as he hurled his coat to the floor as he sat down.
"I don’t blame him for that but obviously any manager would wish it shouldn’t be too emotional and also in front of the TV cameras. I don’t think this will be for the benefit of anyone: not to his benefit or teammates," Rangnick said.
Two games later, Ronaldo stormed off down the tunnel after a draw at Burnley, having been a substitute at Turf Moor. Following the game, Rangnick aimed a not-so-subtle dig at the veteran attacker.
"Cristiano, as we all know, is 37. I think he knows himself what he should do or should not do and what he has to do. Why he didn't do, why he left the pitch directly after the final whistle, maybe he was also disappointed that we only got a draw," the interim boss said.
March 2022 - Hat-trick hero
After a number of difficult months, Ronaldo got back on form with a bang as he scored a brilliant hat-trick in a win over Tottenham. It was a performance that led to former United captain Roy Keane labelling him a "genius".
"Ronaldo looked angry today, he played with a lot of aggression. Scoring goals is the hardest part of the game. Some players don't even score in training! What more can you say about him? He's a genius!" Keane told Sky Sports.
He scored another hat-trick against Norwich two games later, the start of a run that saw him net in four successive games. He ended the season with 18 Premier League goals, but that impressive return was unable to lift United into the top four.
July 2022 - Departure demanded
Soon after Erik ten Hag took over as Manchester United boss, Ronaldo opted to hand in a transfer request. He refused to join the club's pre-season tour of Asia and Australia, instead staying in England.
It was reported at the time that the attacker was even willing to give up the final year of his contract to leave Old Trafford. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was left unimpressed with Ronaldo's actions.
"Ronaldo did exactly what I thought he would do, score goals but make the team worse. The transfer request also kills the idea he turned down Man City because of his love for Man United," he said.
August 2022 - Ten Hag's disastrous start
With no interested party emerging, Ronaldo was forced to stay at United and returned to training in time to feature in their final friendly of pre-season. But he left Ten Hag fuming when he left that game against Rayo Vallecano early after being subbed off at half-time.
"I certainly don't condone this. This is unacceptable. For everyone. We are a team and you have to stay until the end," the Dutchman said. Ronaldo only played 45 minutes in the opening-day defeat by Brighton.
Ten Hag finally handed him his first start against Brentford, but United were hammered by the Bees. Like much of the team, Ronaldo disappointed and he was dropped from the starting line-up.
October 2022 - Storming off against Spurs
Having started in games against Everton and Newcastle, Ronaldo was dropped back to the bench when Tottenham visited Old Trafford in late October. But after being told to go on by Ten Hag minutes before the end, Ronaldo instead decided to storm off down the tunnel.
"He was there, I have seen him but I didn't speak. I will deal with that tomorrow not today. We're celebrating this victory and now we have to recover and another big game on Saturday, Chelsea," Ten Hag told Amazon Prime after the game.
The incident took the gloss off United's best performance since the Dutchman took charge in the summer. And deal with Ronaldo Ten Hag did, by leaving him out of the squad entirely for the next game against Chelsea.
November 2022 - Bombshell interview
The end of Ronaldo's second spell is likely upon us after he gave a bombshell interview to Morgan. The Portugal captain has not featured in either of United's last two games before he slammed Ten Hag.
"I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you," Ronaldo said.
His team-mates only learned of the interview as they were travelling back from their last-minute win at Fulham on Sunday. It has been reported that they have been left 'upset' by his actions, with Ten Hag set to hold crunch talks with the club's hierarchy on Monday to decide his future.
