(Football news) Manchester United are exploring ways to terminate Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract after the 37 year old made some scathing accusations against the club and the manager in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan. Ronaldo said that he has “no respect” for Erik ten Hag and blamed the hierarchy including the owners for lacking empathy, failing to invest in the infrastructure and “betraying” the player by forcing him out of the club. 

A statement released by the club read “Manchester United has this morning initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo's recent media interview. We will not be making further comments until this process reaches its conclusion." While the club have not put a time frame on the ‘process’ it’s understood that they want it resolved “cleanly and quickly” and in as dignified a way as possible to not only minimise the impact on the club but also to respect Portugal who are competing in the World Cup. 

Due to Ronaldo’s interview, Manchester United do not want to give the 37 year old a pay off, especially considering that both the club and the player want to part ways and the fact that the Red Devils have been forced to take action due to Ronaldo’s interview. However, there are complications involved as Ronaldo is the Premier League and Manchester United’s highest paid player and his contract is one of the biggest in world football if not the sports industry at large. 

It’s also understood that Manchester United have rejected some of the criticisms Ronaldo has made during the interview, notably about the lack of investment. The 37 year old said that the training facilities, gym, swimming pool, jacuzzi along with other things have remained the same since he was at Manchester United earlier but sources have said that Manchester United have invested in the training facility, restaurant and swimming pool. Sources also insist that Ten Hag has treated Ronaldo with respect despite the player insisting that he has not been treated respectfully. It’s unlikely that Ronaldo will play for Manchester United again and it’s disheartening that the love affair between Ronaldo and Manchester United needed to end in such a fashion.

Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo shares insights about Ten Hag, Messi and the World Cup