CRISTIANO RONALDO stayed at Manchester United for too long and his bombshell interview ended up being just the “tipping point”.
That is according to United legend and Ronaldo’s former team-mate Roy Keane, who claims the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s dramatic exit from Old Trafford had long been “on the cards”.
The Red Devils terminated the Portugal captain’s £500,000-a-week deal with immediate effect on Tuesday following a mutual agreement.
The Manchester giants made that decision after the star forward’s tell-all interview with SunSport columnist Piers Morgan in which he slammed manager Erik ten Hag, the Glazers and former team-mates.
Keane was not at all shocked with that development as he insists the 37-year-old should have left in the summer.
The footballer-turned-pundit also suggested Ten Hag mishandled him as Ronaldo should have never been treated as a “fringe player”.
Keane told ITV: “It has been on cards for the last few months. The interview was the tipping point. It is like a divorce, the end of a relationship.
“He should have left in the summer, the new manager was never going to play him. You cannot have Ronaldo as a fringe player, it is just not right.”
Keane doubled down on Ten Hag after Ronaldo revealed he doesn’t respect him because he felt the Dutch tactician didn’t appreciate him enough.
The legendary United skipper insists the ex-Ajax boss should have treated the Real Madrid legend “differently”.
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Keane added: “The Dutch are straight-talkers. Good thing for the club, him and the fans. Once the World Cup is finished they are back in the league and want to hit the ground running.
“You do have to treat the top players differently. I don’t want to go down the road again about pressing, Ronaldo did not come back to the club to do that, he came back to score goals.
“Let him go in the summer before it gets really messy. Ronaldo has run out of patience there. I think it is really straightforward. People say his reputation at United is tarnished. Far from it. United fans aren’t daft.
“Ronaldo will go down as one of the greatest players. It has not ended well, but that’s life. I think he will be delighted to be among the Portuguese squad and show its qualities.”
