By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Manchester United have terminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract by mutual consent following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
A club statement read: “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.”
Ronaldo issued a statement of his own which read: “Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early. I love Manchester United and i love the fans, that will never ever change.
“However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future.”
United wanted Ronaldo’s exit done “cleanly and quickly” and in as dignified a way as possible – not only to minimise distraction at Old Trafford but also to show respect to Portugal during the World Cup.
The Glazers, chief executive Richard Arnold, football director John Murtough and Ten Hag decided that Ronaldo has burnt his bridges at Old Trafford and there is no way back for him at the club.
They rejected the idea of more disciplinary action after Ronaldo was dropped and made to train on his own last month for walking out during the win over Tottenham having refusing to come on as a substitute.
Ronaldo criticised the club for a lack of investment in the 13 years since he left Old Trafford.
Sportsmail revealed that Ronaldo met with representatives from Bayern Munich last week.
Sporting Lisbon would also be interested in re-signing a player who started his career at the club, but Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes will have to drop their wage demands if he wants to continue playing in Europe.
Otherwise, the former Real Madrid and Juventus star will have to look to the Middle East or America, having confirmed in the interview for TalkTV that he turned down an offer from Saudi Arabia in the summer worth in excess of £300million.