After speaking with Cristiano Ronaldo this week, acclaimed British journalist Piers Morgan is convinced the striker will leave Manchester United and believes he will join a ”surprising” club.
Morgan claims to have spoken to Ronaldo in recent days and believes the Portuguese has “mentally left” Old Trafford. The Portuguese informed the club’s management earlier this month that he wanted to leave, but the Red Devils are adamant that he is not for sale.
When asked about the situation, United’s new manager Erik ten Hag stated that he intends to work with Ronaldo throughout the 2022-23 season and that the five-time Ballon d’ Or winner may even extend his stay at the club.
However, Morgan believes Ronaldo has already played his final game for United and that he could end up at a ”surprising” club, with Chelsea having already turned down the opportunity to sign the 37-year-old.
“I have had quite a lot of contact with him in the last week. I certainly think it’d be highly unlikely if Cristiano Ronaldo plays another game for Manchester United. I just think mentally he’s moved on. I’m not going to say what we’ve said to each other but like I said from the start I don’t think Cristiano feels Manchester United share his ambitions,”
he said on talkSPORT.
“I think he feels the club structure from the top down isn’t right. It’s not a reflection on the new manager [Erik ten Hag], he’s got a lot of respect for him, but it’s just an accurate reflection of where United are right now.
It’s for him to say what he feels but if you’re asking me then I don’t think he’s going to stay at Manchester United. I think he could end up somewhere quite surprising.”
Ronaldo made a return to Old Trafford last summer and performed admirably during the 2021-22 season, scoring 24 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions. In recent days, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich have all turned down the chance to sign him.
He has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, but a move to the LaLiga club could be contentious given his previous association with arch-rivals Real Madrid.
