Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Manchester United "with immediate effect", a club statement revealed tonight. The parting has been described as "by mutual agreement" by the Red Devils. This development is not entirely unexpected, given Ronaldo's highly controversial interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV last week. United released a statement in the wake of that interview, saying very little and outlining that the matter would be dealt with immediately. Now it is clear the extent to which they have acted.
Ronaldo is at the World Cup with Portugal, who are set to play Ghana in their Group H opener on Thursday. It now appears the forward will do so as an unattached player. He departs United with 27 goals in 54 appearances during a contentious and rocky second spell. While Ronaldo has scored goals and often performed well individually, much has been said and written about his impact on the wider team.
That matter came to a head this season, with Ronaldo often benched by new manager Erik ten Hag. This was one of many issues Ronaldo railed against in the Morgan interview, and now it seems his words burned any remaining bridge to the club.
You can read United's full statement below.
Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect. The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future. Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.
The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford.
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