Manchester United have announced that Cristiano Ronaldo has left the club by mutual agreement with immediate effect.
The 37-year-old’s future at Old Trafford has been under scrutiny ever since Erik ten Hag’s arrival in the summer, but the speculation reached its peak following an explosive interview Ronaldo carried out earlier this month.
Just hours after Man United had won their final game before the World Cup break, quotes from an interview Ronaldo conducted with Piers Morgan were released during which he launched a scathing attack on both the manager and the club.
In it, Ronaldo claimed that the club had not progressed at all since he first left in 2009, while also insisting that he does not respect Ten Hag, having fallen down the pecking order under the Dutchman.
After the complete interview was released last week, Man United confirmed that they would take “appropriate steps” against the five-time Ballon d’Or winner once they had gathered all the facts.
