Cristiano Ronaldo disappointed with situation at Manchester United, says Morgan

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United against Atalanta in Champions League
Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United against Atalanta in Champions League - IMAGO / Gribaudi/ImagePhoto

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in recent weeks. There have been rumours that the player is keen to join a club with Champions League football, and he has already informed the club of his decision to leave.

However, Manchester United are adamant that the player will not be sold this summer.

The 37-year-old was in excellent form last season and scored 24 goals across all competitions. However, that was not enough to guide Manchester United to a top-four finish or a trophy.

According to Piers Morgan from Talksport, the Portuguese international is extremely frustrated with the lack of desire, hunger and drive in the Manchester United squad.

The report claims that Ronaldo is sick and tired of the situation within the club, and he believes that the younger players lack the mentality to compete at a higher level.

Morgan said: “I’ve had a lot of chats with him about this, and I know that his frustration has been boiling and boiling and boiling throughout the year.

“Remember, he came to Manchester United again because he believed that he could win things with them and that he was going to be a missing cog in the wheel and they’d not only qualify for the Champions League, but that they might even win the league.

“I think he was incredibly disappointed by the general level of dedication, hard graft, enthusiasm and will to win, not to mention the hunger of that Man United squad. Particularly some of the younger players.

“He gave quite a cryptic interview at the start of the year when he said that when he was a teenager at United, he was constantly asking advice from Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand – all of these older, brilliant players who were there.

“He was soaking up the advice, but I got the impression from the interview that he gave that he’s not been getting that at United. They don’t really want to hear it.

“When you look at those younger United players, there’s a lot of talent there, but do they have anything like the drive needed, which comes from within, ” Ronaldo says.

“He ended up scoring 24 goals last season, 18 in the league, second behind Son and Salah. He scored one more league goal than Harry Kane, who is nearly 10 years younger than him.

“This guy is supposedly supposed to be the problem at Manchester United. He’s not the problem, and he’s going to leave, I think, because he’s absolutely sick and tired of having to carry that squad.”

It is no surprise that a player of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ability is aiming to play at the highest level. It will be interesting to see whether Manchester United can satisfy his ambitions.

The Premier League side have appointed a new manager in Erik Ten Hag, and the Dutchman hopes to convince Ronaldo to stay at the club beyond this summer.

Manchester United are already lacking in goals, and Ronaldo had to carry the squad throughout last season. His departure would be a massive blow for the Red Devils, who simply cannot afford to lose him this summer.

The 37-year-old has one year left on his current contract with the Premier League side, and he has been linked with clubs like Chelsea and Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-German.

It will be interesting to see how his situation develops over the next few weeks.

The Portuguese international was recently absent from pre-season training, and there are rumours that he could miss the pre-season tours as well.