Gary Neville speaks out to Sky Sports on that much talked about Cristiano Ronaldo interview having been criticised by him.
G Nev said there is “no way back” for his former teammate at Manchester United after his explosive criticism of the club and manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo took aim at a number of people during his interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, and now Gary Neville has told Sky Sports he cannot see the Portugal forward playing for the club again.
“No, and l don’t think he wants a way back,” Neville said. “He wouldn’t have done this interview if he wanted a way back. He knew it would bring the headlines it has and be the end of his Manchester United career.”
Manchester United haven’t yet indicated what action they make take following Ronaldo’s interview.
“I’m wondering what Man Utd are doing because the reality of it is they know they have to terminate Cristiano’s contract or they basically open up a precedent so any player can criticise them in the future,” added Neville.
“I agree with some of the things Cristiano has said and many Man Utd fans will agree with many things Cristiano has said but the reality is if you’re an employee within a business and say those things your employment has to terminate and Man Utd have to do that in the next few days.
“Cristiano probably wants that as well but it didn’t need to end like that. They could have come together a couple of weeks ago and navigated a pathway through what could have potentially been choppy seas to the shore but it’s not happened, they’ve both basically backed themselves into a corner.
“I think he’s – over a period of many, many months – stored up pent-up frustration, he’s not done any interview at all this season for any broadcaster. United are on nearly every single week and I suspect he’s been asked to do an interview after every game, every single week and he’s chosen not to speak. He’s felt he’s needed to come out and say his piece and get off his chest what’s been bugging him.
“I don’t know what he thought in respect of what United fans would think [about the interview]. I’ve called for many years for football players to be open, to be independent thinking and come out and speak their minds and not be micro-managed with an inch of their lives by PR teams. I can’t think that’s happened here – I can’t think any PR advisor would have told him to go and do what he’s done.
“He would have done this off his own back with his own strength of character and personality. There was probably another way to do it but that was from the club’s side and Cristiano’s side, when I had that debate in the studio after the Chelsea game three or four weeks ago with Roy Keane, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dave Jones, I urged Man Utd and Cristiano to come together that week because it was obvious the relationship was failing or had failed and to navigate a pathway to January or the World Cup where they created a truce. Exits don’t have to happen this way if both sides are proactive and mature. I’m disappointed that meeting doesn’t seem to have happened.
š£ļø “That’s NOT true.”
Gary Neville welcomes Cristiano Ronaldo’s honesty but was ‘disappointed’ when he criticised the young players š“ pic.twitter.com/IhDAiPd91B
ā Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 17, 2022
“Cristiano hasn’t been controlled or managed, it doesn’t look like he’s reached out to the club and opened communication lines. We’ve ended up with this quite unsavoury situation whereby it looks like Cristiano is going to end this period of his reign at Man Utd in not a great a feeling as it should be.
“He’s one of the greatest players ever to play the game in the world and certainly one of Man Utd’s greatest ever player. I remember when players left Man Utd when I was there and it didn’t always end in the right way and it never felt right. And as a fan it doesn’t feel right that someone I played with needs to leave the club in this way, or the club need to end it this way.”
Ronaldo said about Neville and Rooney: “People can have their own opinions.
“They don’t really know what’s going on at the training ground, they have to listen to my point of view as well. It’s easy to criticise if they don’t know the whole story.
“They are not my friends, they are colleagues. We played together but we’re not having dinner together. It’s part of my journey, they keep criticising me with negativity every time. I can continue my trip and I have to catch up with people who like me.”
This is what fans had to say as Gary Neville speaks out on that Cristiano Ronaldo interview having been criticised by him…
@antsproblempage: @GNev2 trying to get back in Cristiano Ronaldo’s good books again š¤£
@BroganF10: Sorry Gary. You out right said you wouldnt critizie Ole to protect him because he was an ex team mate. Yet you constantly tried to make Ronaldo the issue even when we was 2 top goal scorer in the league last season. You also constantly side step the maguire issue. Hypocrisy.
@callum592: Thatās the real issue with Ronaldo attitude! he knows his career is coming to an end ect. And the World Cup is his last dance. Heās trying to irrelevant in his active years with this interview.
@FrenchColm: You are a pundit and a good one at that. Your job is to give your opinion on games and players. If a player can’t except that it shows a level of immaturity.
@Spurspapers: How can Neville take the high ground on everything when heās literally taking blood money next week. Hypocrite should just shut up.
@Wards187: Class act @GNev2 – strange to call him out for a few reasons but one of them is heās so detailed and intelligent you wonāt come out the other side looking on top. His detailed analysis of situations will just make you look daft – like this has with @Cristiano
@jamesset1994: When are United fans and Ex players like Gary Neville going to realise CR7 literally doesnāt give a toss about your tinpot club. Keep seeing āthereās no way back for himā š thatās literally what he wanted out of the whole thing
@DAZHATTER: @GNev2 In my opinion, @Cristiano was backed in to a corner & I’m glad he did the @piersmorgan interview. @ManUtd have treated a top player & a football legend, very badly. He deserves to be a a much better club (e.g. @ManCity). šŗā½šŗ
@indrajitspalace: Gary Neville is delusional.. The time for opening up a dialogue with a club that is rotten to the core is almost impossible. It’s not the club you were raised at, it’s not got the same culture that you were part of. @GNev2

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