Cristiano Ronaldo has called himself a ‘strawberry’ during his interview with Piers Morgan in an attempt to attack his critics. The 37-year-old forward joined Manchester United for a second time last summer but has fallen down the pecking order at the club under new boss Erik ten Hag and looks set to quit Old Trafford in January.
Ronaldo returned to pre-season training late ahead of the new campaign and missed his club’s summer tour as he tried to force a move away. And he has since started just four Premier League games under Ten Hag.
The player refused to come on as a late substitute during United’s clash with Tottenham last month and was dropped from the matchday squad three days later when his side travelled to Chelsea.
Speculation of a January departure has intensified in recent weeks, with some former players intimating that Ronaldo’s time at Old Trafford is up. And earlier this week, the veteran gave an explosive interview with Talk TV host Morgan as he took aim at his critics.
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Ronaldo’s bombshell interview was carried out just before he linked up with his international team-mates ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. The blockbuster star helped his country qualify for the tournament when he captained them in their play-off victory over North Macedonia in March.
The ace is now set to appear in his fifth World Cup finals, with Portugal being drawn in Group H, alongside Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea. But it remains to be seen whether he will ever pull on the United shirt again when he eventually returns to Old Trafford after the tournament ends.