‘They have to’ – Gary Neville claims Manchester United know how they’ll handle Cristiano Ronaldo

Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s conversation with Piers Morgan, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville claims the club will “know they have to terminate” his contract.

Ronaldo’s chat with Morgan had the 37-year-old making outrageous claims about practically every element of the club. Erik ten Hag, Ralf Rangnick, the Glazers, the facilities, Wayne Rooney, Neville, and the club’s younger players have all been singled out by the Portugal international in his harsh appraisal of Manchester United.

Ronaldo took specific issue with Neville, claiming that the former Manchester United captain was simply criticizing him to become “more famous.”

Ronaldo explained to Morgan: “Listening as ex-colleagues or teammates criticize you when they only see one side of the story. It’s simple to criticize; I’m not sure if you have a profession in television that requires you to criticize in order to be more renowned. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.

“It’s difficult to have individuals who were in the dressing room with you criticizing you in that way. I believe they exploit this because they are not foolish. I’m the most followed man on the planet. It is not by chance.”

Neville has now reacted to the explosive interview, suggesting that United have no choice but to terminate Ronaldo’s contract.

Sky Sports quoted Neville as saying: “I don’t believe he wants to go back. He wouldn’t have agreed to this interview if he wanted to go back in time. He knew it would make headlines and lead to the demise of his Manchester United club.

“I’m curious what Man United is doing because the reality is that they realize they have to terminate Cristiano’s contract or set a precedent that any player can criticize them in the future.

“I agree with some of what Cristiano has said, and many Man United fans will agree with many of his comments, but the reality is that if you’re an employee within a business and say those things, your employment must be terminated, and Man United must do so in the coming days.

“Cristiano undoubtedly wants it as well, but it didn’t have to finish that way. They could have gotten together a couple of weeks ago and navigated a path through potentially choppy seas to the shore, but that didn’t happen; instead, they’ve both backed themselves into a corner.”