(Football news) Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘always happy’ to be involved with the national team despite controversy surrounding his explosive interview with Piers Morgan about Manchester United. The Benfica midfielder has insisted that the saga will not affect the national team and they remain committed to the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. Ronaldo has accused Manchester United of “betraying” him and has said that he has “no respect” for manager Erik ten Hag, accusations that in all probability mean that he will never play for the Red Devils again. 

In an interview, Joao Mario said “Everyone always speaks about Cristiano, so it's fine for us. He's always happy when he is in the national team – I saw him yesterday and he was quite fine as always. As he has said before, for him it is always a pleasure to be here. I do not believe that the interview adds more pressure on him or anyone else." 

A video has been circulated on social media showing an awkward handshake between Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, but a possible rift between the pair has been dismissed by Mario who said “I was there and saw everything, it was a funny moment that was misinterpreted on the outside. Bruno was late, one of the last to arrive, and Cristiano asked him if he had came by boat. I understand that the images can be interpreted in many ways, but it was a joke between them. There is no problem between them." 

There has also been another video about Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo, with the Manchester City player apparently being angered by the 37 year old’s words but the full video has revealed that the 28 year old was annoyed at a challenge by Joao Felix and Ronaldo was offering words of comfort. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Ronaldo with Manchester United saying that they will wait for the full facts to be established before giving a verdict. The hierarchy are already in consultation with lawyers about a possible course of action but no judgement will be made before the full interview is released on Wednesday and Thursday.

Also read: Ronaldo claims Manchester United owners don’t care about the club