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Although Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United last season following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan, it seems the Portuguese star’s views may have some credibility with former United boss Mike Phelan.
During the interview, Ronaldo launched into a tirade of criticism against his then current club; a move that understandably infuriated United’s hierarchy and fans around the world.
From claims that Erik ten Hag wanted him out of the club to players not up to the standards required, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has left United with no choice but to part ways with him.
It is interesting that some United faithful came to Ronaldo’s defense, and among them is club legend Roy Keane.
“He (Ronaldo) certainly feels that he was treated unfairly. When you get that as a senior professional, it’s almost a legitimate anger,” Keane said of Ronaldo’s lack of game time.
It wasn’t just Keane who was sympathetic to the former United man for goals. Former United assistant manager Mike Phelan also seemed to understand Ronaldo’s point of view, explaining that the player’s high standards led to disappointment when he noticed the mindset of his Old Trafford team-mates upon returning to the club for a second spell.
“In the second round, he came much older and much more opinionated, strong-willed. He still had extremely high standards and was great to work with.
“I liked it because he didn’t want his standards to go down, he wanted other people’s standards to go up. And sometimes you lose a few people along the way when that happens,” Phelan explained.
Even though more time has passed since Ronaldo’s fiery interview and subsequent departure from the club, some of the issues cited by the Al-Nassra forward appear to persist.
Despite an impressive FA Cup victory over Manchester City, it appears United still have a lot of work to do when it comes to improving the club’s training facilities – which was one of the main points the Portuguese made during his fiery interview.
Today on talkSPORT, Mike Phelan returned to the subject of Ronaldo’s infamous interview, zooming in on the issue of inadequate conditions at the Carrington training complex.
“I think he had a point,” Phelan said. “There were elements on the training ground who were tired, definitely.”
Again Phelan spoke of Ronaldo’s high standards, especially after playing for Real Madrid and Juventus. “Coming back, everyone would have expected more. You want to keep up with the times. I don’t think he saw that early in his United career.”
With INEOS reportedly planning to renovate the training complex, United fans will be hoping that Carrington can improve to compete with the club’s biggest rivals in the Premier League as well as on the European continent.
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