"It was so public" - Gary Neville claims explosive Piers Morgan interview was the final straw for Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United 

Manchester United icon Gary Neville believes Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan was the final nail in the coffin of his tenure at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo's sensational return to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 didn't play out the way many fans expected. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was unable to find the success he had during his first spell at the club between 2003 and 2009.

Despite scoring 24 goals and providing three assists in 39 appearances during the 2021-22 season, the Red Devils finished sixth in the Premier League and won no silverware. They looked dysfunctional as a team and were plagued with inconsistent results.

Cristiano Ronaldo's hero status at the club was diminished upon the arrival of Erik ten Hag last summer. The Dutch tactician controversially benched Ronaldo, limiting him to 16 appearances during the 2022-23 season, where he scored only three goals.

In November of 2022, Ronaldo's interview with Morgan was published for the world to see. The Portugal superstar accused Ten Hag and senior executives at the club of not respecting him and wanting him out of the club.

The 38-year-old also criticized the club's owners the Glazers, labeling Manchester United as a marketing club. He bemoaned the lack of evolution within the club as well, in terms of infrastructure and technology.

Neville believes the interview was Ronaldo's final straw. In an interview with MARCA, he said (via Daily Mirror):

“I wish it hadn't ended like that, I wish he had stayed and they had found a way to cope with each other until the end of the season. But it became impossible once he did the interview with Piers Morgan. It was so public at the time that there was only one outcome.”

As a direct result of his interview, Cristiano Ronaldo's contract with Manchester United was mutually terminated in November last year. He would go on to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr as a free agent in January.

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Piers Morgan takes brutal dig at Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag with Cristiano Ronaldo message

Morgan recently aimed a brutal dig at Manchester United manager Ten Hag after the Red Devils suffered a 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on September 30.

Joachim Andersen's 25th-minute goal was enough for Crystal Palace to secure all three points in a shock upset. The Red Devils have had an extremely poor start to the season and are 10th in the Premier League with just nine points after seven games.

Following their loss, Morgan posted an image of himself with Cristiano Ronaldo on X (formerly Twitter). The post was captioned:

"Hi Erik."

Cristiano Ronaldo has had a phenomenal campaign for Al-Nassr, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in nine appearances. United could very well do with a player of his caliber in their current predicament.