A player who had a front-row seat for Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive Manchester United exit has given his side of the story
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United under a cloud(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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Former Manchester United star Fred has recalled the 'week of turmoil' following Cristiano Ronaldo's bombshell interview with Piers Morgan. It's been four years since Ronaldo left United for the second and final time in the wake of his comments to Morgan, which saw him tear apart manager Erik ten Hag and the club's owners.
Even before the interview, Ronaldo was already on his way out after falling out with Ten Hag, who had clashed with other players. They included Fred, who recently told the Brazilian Charla Podcast: "Before a match, Ten Hag said that Ronaldo was going to leave. Fair enough, there was nothing we could do."
However, all hell broke loose when Ronaldo's infamous interview aired. Fred continued: "After the game, when the plane landed, the club's communications staff turned off aeroplane mode and saw that he had given that interview in which he was highly critical of the club.
"Then everyone went wild. It was chaos, people pacing back and forth. It was madness. [Ronaldo] said things he shouldn't have, and it was a week of turmoil."
While Fred admitted Ronaldo went too far with his comments, he pulled no punches when discussing Ten Hag, whom he accused of favouring his fellow Dutchmen in the squad. He said: "Tactically, Ten Hag was very good, but with the group, he was a piece of s***.
"He argued with everyone. He argued with me, with Cristiano Ronaldo, with Casemiro, with Rashford. Only the Dutch players got to play. He was a coach who played his favourites.
"But tactically, he was one of the best I've ever worked with. He wanted the team to run, but Cristiano was getting older. He dropped Cristiano and that led to a falling-out."
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag chats with Christiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag didn't see eye to eye(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
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Ronaldo has recently fallen out with another manager, Portugal boss Jorge Jesus, potentially spelling the end of the 41-year-old's international career, which has seen him score 146 goals in 234 appearances.
Ronaldo left the national team squad after he was an unused substitute for a 2-1 win away to Norway in the Nations League on September 27. He then vowed to "tell the truth" about the bust-up in due course.
Fred and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United
Fred slammed Erik ten Hag's man-management skills(Image: Tom Purslow/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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After Sunday’s 2-1 home win over Norway, Jesus insisted the door was still open for Ronaldo to return to international duty but not as a regular starter. He said: "If he wants to, he'll return to the national team.
"We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who's going to decide. In my first call-up, I said, 'I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you.' And now I'm saying the same thing."
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