Anthony Martial has categorically denied rumors of conflict between Cristiano Ronaldo and his Manchester United teammates.
The Red Devils’ bad season on the field has occurred against a backdrop of strained relations between groups in the locker room. Since his appointment late last year, interim manager Ralf Rangnick has battled to impose his influence on the players, and there were also concerns under his predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
According to reports in January, Ronaldo and his fellow Portuguese-speakers, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Fred, and Alex Telles, were on opposite sides of a dressing room schism. Furthermore, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was said to be enraged by Rangnick’s decision to leave him out of the Manchester derby, which United lost 4-1.
The German stated Ronaldo was injured, and the star chose to return to his homeland rather than cheer on his teammates at the Etihad, much to the amazement of his teammates.
Suggestions that the former Real Madrid and Juventus talisman is unhappy to have grown stronger throughout the season, as his body language has been scrutinized. On Tuesday night, he couldn’t hide his rage as the Red Devils were knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by Atletico Madrid in a 2-1 aggregate defeat.
Despite the fanfare that greeted his return to Old Trafford last summer, there is reason to believe Ronaldo’s mood at the club is less than rosy.
However, fellow attacker Anthony Martial insists that his teammate is well-liked in the locker room and that reports of bad blood between players are simply “not true.”
“Cristiano is a top professional, one of the best in the history of the game,” Martial, who is on loan at Sevilla for the second half of the season, told Spanish outlet AS.
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“We’re all crazy about him. There are some things in the media that are not true. I was in that dressing room and witnessed what occurred.”
While Ronaldo looked frustrated against Atletico, he was at his spectacular best against Tottenham on Saturday, scoring a hat-trick to secure a crucial Premier League victory. The treble brought his season total to 18 goals in 32 games, demonstrating that he is still a dangerous force even at the age of 37.
Meanwhile, Martial is still waiting for his first La Liga goal for Sevilla, but he did open his account for the club in the Europa League against Dinamo Zagreb in February. After missing three games due to a muscle ailment, the Frenchman has lately recovered to health and will try to play against West Ham on Thursday.
