Piers Morgan slams Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag over claims Cristiano Ronaldo ‘wasn’t in good shape’ before shock exit
CRISTIANO RONALDO’s pal Piers Morgan has slammed Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag over claims the 819 career-goal forward wasn’t in good shape.
Man Utd ripped up Ronaldo’s contract after his bombshell interview with SunSport columnist and TalkTV main man Morgan.
In that interview, the 37-year-old took aim at his then employers, as well as his manager Ten Hag, claiming he does not respect the Dutchman.
Ronaldo vented his frustration after spending large parts of this season on the bench, and even refused to come on as a substitute in the Premier League win over Tottenham.
Ten Hag addressed Ronaldo’s comments while away preparing his Red Devils for the restart of competitive football post-World Cup.
The Dutchman hinted Ronaldo’s lack of fitness may have contributed to his exile.
He 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.”
Pal Morgan has hit back at Ten Hag, labelling the United manager a “clown”.
Morgan fumed: “‘When he’s in good shape, he’s a good player.’
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“Hard to imagine why Ronaldo felt disrespected by this clown, isn’t it..”
Ronaldo is fully focussed on Portugal’s World Cup campaign, where he is treading unfamiliar territory of the substitutes bench on the international stage.
A lacklustre group stage showing in which he scored just one goal, coming from the penalty spot, Ronaldo was dropped for Portugal’s round of 16 clash with Switzerland.
And 21-year-old replacement Goncalo Ramos netted a hat-trick with Ronaldo watching on.
However, reports of Ronaldo causing unrest in the camp have been dismissed as well wide of the mark by the Portuguese FA.
Ronaldo’s next club is unknown, but a mega-contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr is said to be on the table.
Portugal face World Cup dark horses Morocco on Saturday with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs.