Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo stands during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)Calmness was restored at Old Trafford as Manchester United finally managed to win points in the 2022/23 Premier League season with a 2-1 win against old rivals Liverpool. However, there was no calmness around the subject of Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at the club.
The five time Ballon D’or winner, who started on the bench for the Red Devils and later came on as a substitute, has been the subject of speculations with his interest of moving elsewhere owing to the desire of playing Champions League football.
Ronaldo’s Portugal and United teammate, Bruno Fernandes commented on his position in a chat with Eleven Sports.
“Cristiano Ronaldo’s future? I may know one thing or another, I won’t be the one who will say it,” Fernandes said.
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“For now he’s a United player, he’s quiet – if he’s going to leave or if he won’t leave, he will speak soon as he said.”
It was during the warmup ahead of United-Liverpool game, with the team sheets announced, that Ronaldo had an on-air exchange with former teammate turned broadcaster Roy Keane. One that highlighted his unhappiness over not being in the starting XI in a crucial tie.
“What do you want me to do?”, Ronaldo had replied to Keane’s initial dialogue, “Benched?”. To this, the former United captain said, “Be in the team”. Ronaldo muttered out “I know!” as he walked away.
This wasn’t the first instance that raised doubts over the Ronaldo not getting along well at the club under the new manager. The Portuguese had missed all of United’s pre-season action until the match against Rayo Vallecano, in which he was substituted and was seen leaving the ground before the final whistle.
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Since his comeback to Manchester from Turin last summer, Ronaldo has received two-fold reactions from the fans at the club he won his first Ballon D’or. One segment, favoring his place in the lineup for the goals he scored during a bleak season that saw United not finish in the top four and qualify for Champions League, while another has strongly opposed the 37-year-old for not being involved in the team’s off the ball buildup and pressing further up the pitch.