The Cristiano Ronaldo saga at Manchester United took arguably its most shocking twist on Sunday with the release of an interview in which he said he feels "betrayed" by senior figures at the club.
Asked if he felt he was being forced out of Old Trafford, Ronaldo told Piers Morgan Uncensored: "Yes, not only by the coach, but by another two or three guys around the club that I felt betrayed me.
"I shouldn't say that [they were trying to get rid of me], I don't know, but yes, I feel betrayed. I felt that some people didn't want me here not only this year, but last year too."
Having made just four Premier League starts this season, Ronaldo's explosive comments would appear to push him closer to the exit door.
How did it get to this point? Let's look back at Ronaldo's tumultuous second spell with the club with whom he made his name.
August 27, 2021: Having appeared destined to sign for Manchester City, United announce an agreement with Juventus to bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford. On August 31, a two-year deal with an option for a third season is completed.
September 11, 2021: His second debut sees Ronaldo face Newcastle United at home, and he marks it in style with a brace in a 4-1 win.
September 29, 2021: Champions League history for Ronaldo as he breaks the record for the most appearances (178) in the competition and fittingly scores a last-gasp winner as United beat Villarreal 2-1.
November 21, 2021: Ronaldo continued to score important goals for United in the Champions League, however, a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool and a 2-0 loss to City piled the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. After a 4-1 loss at Watford, the man who brought Ronaldo back to the club is sacked.
November 29, 2021: Ralf Rangnick is appointed as United's interim manager until the end of the season, with the club confirming he would stay on for two years in a consultancy role.
Ronaldo said of Rangnick in Sunday's interview: "They bring in a sporting director Ralf Rangnick which is something nobody understands. This guy is not even a coach! A big club like Manchester United bringing in a sporting director surprised not only me but all the world."
December 2, 2021: In Michael Carrick's final game as caretaker before Rangnick officially took charge, Ronaldo scores twice in a 3-2 win over Arsenal, netting his 800th and 801st goals in his career for club and country.
February 15, 2022: A goal in a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion ends the longest drought of Ronaldo's career, one that stretched back to a December 30 defeat of Burnley and lasted 588 minutes of football.
March 12, 2022: Having missed the Manchester derby because of a hamstring injury, Ronaldo scores a hat-trick on return in a 3-2 win over Tottenham. The treble takes him to 807 goals, past Josef Bican's all-time record of 805. However, the Czech Republic FA claims Bican actually scored 821.
April 16-23, 2022: A hat-trick against Norwich City marks the 50th of Ronaldo's career, and he follows that up a week later with his 100th Premier League goal in a loss to Arsenal, an emotional game for the Portugal international having come days after he and his partner announced the death of their baby son.
April 21, 2022: Erik ten Hag is appointed as United's new manager from the 2022-23 season. On May 16, the Dutchman leaves his role at Ajax early to start preparations for his new job.
May 22, 2022: United's 2021-22 season ends with the Red Devils in sixth, seeing them have to settle for Europa League football. Ronaldo does not feature in their 1-0 loss at Crystal Palace that rounds off a campaign in which he scored 24 goals but never meshed with Rangnick and his style of football.
July 11, 2022: Despite intense speculation around Ronaldo and agent Jorge Mendes trying to force a transfer away from United, Ten Hag insists Ronaldo is "not for sale".
July 31, 2022: Ronaldo leaves early during United’s pre-season friendly with Rayo Vallecano, along with some other team-mates. Ten Hag slams that decision as “not acceptable”.
October 2, 2022: Ronaldo is left on the bench in the 6-3 loss to City, a game United trailed 4-0 at half-time. Ten Hag claims the decision was down to “respect” for Ronaldo’s career.
October 19, 2022: Having refused to enter the game as a substitute, Ronaldo walks down the tunnel during United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham. He is suspended by the club three days later.
November 13, 2022: After being left out of United’s EFL Cup clash with Aston Villa with an apparent illness, Ronaldo is again absent from their squad for the final game before the World Cup break, a 2-1 win at Fulham. Later that day, his bombshell interview is released.
Erik ten Hag confident Man Utd can end record Bayern run and avoid European exit
Erik ten Hag is confident his inconsistent but talented Manchester United side can beat Bayern Munich to stay in Europe as they pray for a Champions League miracle.
The Red Devils’ Group A campaign has been punctuated by goals, madness and mistakes, leaving their hopes of reaching the knockout phase hanging by a thread.
United have just four points and sit bottom of the pool heading into the final match against already-qualified Bayern, meaning progress is out of their hands.
Ten Hag’s men need to become the first side to beat the German outfit in a Champions League group game since September 2017 and hope Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw in the other game.
United are guaranteed at least a place in the Europa League if they win on a night that the Dutchman is heading into without thinking about the impact of failing to qualify from the group.
He said: “I don’t know. What I know is I never think in a negative scenario. We think positive, so we know what to do.
“We have to win to stay in Europe, so it’s all about that.
“We will prepare the team with that feeling and with that belief that we are able to do it and I think we have shown in the last weeks when we are on our best then we can do it.”
United limp into this match on the back of Saturday’s awful 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, which led Ten Hag to admit his team were not good enough to be consistent high performers.
But the Dutchman remains confident his side possesses the quality to beat the best as they look to end Bayern’s competition record 39-match unbeaten group-stage run.
“It’s our team (that gives me hope),” Ten Hag said. “We are not consistent. Clear.
“But we have also a very good performance and highs, so if we get it when we are in the right spirit, then we are able to do it and we are able to beat any opponent.
“The game against Chelsea (gives me belief), the game against Everton, even the game against Galatasaray.
“So, I know this team can perform really at high levels and it’s not that we did it three months ago. No, we did it last week, so I know we can do it.
“When we have the right mood, we have the right spirit, it starts with the right attitude, if everyone is ready for it, we are able to do it.”
United’s previous two Champions League matches have been on the road – a 4-3 defeat to Copenhagen at a rocking Parken Stadium before receiving their ‘Welcome to Hell’ in Turkey a fortnight ago.
Ten Hag’s men blew a two-goal lead in a frustrating 3-3 draw at hostile Galatasaray and the Red Devils boss stressed the importance of the Old Trafford crowd on Tuesday.
“I think Old Trafford is not a nice place to come for an opponent, and we are aware of it,” Ten Hag said.
“It starts with us but then, of course, you hope that the fans we are together.
“As long as I’m here, I always have the feeling we are absolutely together. There’s a very strong bond between the team and the fans.
“They’re always behind this, even when we have big setbacks. They’re staying behind us, they’re supporting us, so very happy with that.
“But we have to take the responsibility. It starts with us, we have to energise them.”
United are still juggling with a number of key injuries as they prepare to host Bayern and travel to rivals Liverpool on Sunday, with Victor Lindelof a doubt having missed the Bournemouth defeat through injury.
“It’s a condensed programme, so we have a training (to come),” Ten Hag said.
“So in this moment, I’m not sure about everyone and who is available for tomorrow.
“So, a question mark is, for instance, on Victor Lindelof if he can make it or not.
“We have to wait and to see until tomorrow, then we know.”
Home discomfort – Man Utd’s Old Trafford woes as Bournemouth inflict latest loss
Manchester United’s comprehensive defeat by Bournemouth means they have lost more home league games in the 10 years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement than they did in his 21 Premier League seasons at Old Trafford.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the declining status of the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
Home invasion
While Ferguson took charge of United in 1986, United’s dominant era began after the top flight’s breakaway and rebranding in 1992.
From that point until his retirement in 2013, United lost only 34 home Premier League games at an average of 1.6 per season.
Bournemouth on Saturday inflicted the 35th in less than 10 and a half seasons since with a 3-0 rout of Erik ten Hag’s side that could have been even more emphatic.
It was the Cherries’ first ever win at Old Trafford and Andoni Iraola’s side are by no means the first of the Premier League’s lesser names to shock United at home since Ferguson’s exit.
While Manchester City have six wins on enemy turf and Liverpool and Tottenham three each, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho all suffered home defeats to West Brom while Crystal Palace twice defeated Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team and also won 1-0 this season.
The teams to win three times or more at Old Trafford in Ferguson’s Premier League tenure are topped by Chelsea with six wins and Liverpool four. Arsenal and Man City managed three apiece and even the one surprise name, Middlesbrough, were in an era when they won a League Cup and could boast players such as Juninho, Gaizka Mendieta and Alen Boksic in their line-ups.
United have already lost at home this season to Brighton, Palace, Man City and Bournemouth. Only once under Ferguson did they lose four or more Premier League home games in a season, six in 2001-02.
They topped that mark in the first season after his departure with seven, and also had six in 2020-21 and four in 2021-22.
Solskjaer’s reign accounts for 13 of the 35 home losses, with six for Moyes and Ten Hag joining his countryman Van Gaal on five. Mourinho had four, with one each for Giggs and Ralf Rangnick.
Season of struggle
United’s seven losses in 16 games home and away is their most at this stage of a Premier League season – indeed, on 19 occasions out of 31 they have gone a full campaign with fewer defeats.
The last time United racked up as many losses this early was in 1989-90, when they finished 13th but an FA Cup win saved Ferguson’s job.
They have a negative goal difference at this stage – scoring 18 league goals and conceding 21 – for the first time since 1986-87, when Ferguson replaced the sacked Ron Atkinson.
Scott McTominay is their Premier League top scorer with five goals. Bruno Fernandes (three) and Marcus Rashford (two) are the only other players to score more than once, ranking joint-lowest with Sheffield United, Luton, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace in that category.
They are the only team in England’s top four tiers not to have drawn a league game this season and that run stretches 23 games in all, since April’s 2-2 draw with Spurs. That is United’s longest such run since the 1934-35 season.
What’s at stake for the British clubs as European group stages come to an end?
The final round of fixtures in the group stages of this season’s European competitions take place this week.
Here, the PA news agency looks at what is at stake for the British clubs involved.
Champions League
It is crunch time for Manchester United and Newcastle in their bids to reach the knockout stages.
Erik ten Hag’s inconsistent side must beat Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday and hope the clash between Copenhagen and Galatasaray ends in a draw to leapfrog both and progress from Group A.
Defeat would end United’s European campaign without even the consolation of a Europa League place.
Newcastle, third in Group F, need to beat AC Milan at St James’ Park on Wednesday to have any hope of going through but that will not be enough if second-placed Paris St Germain overcome Borussia Dortmund.
Having already qualified as winners of their groups, the pressure is off for Arsenal and Manchester City as they travel to PSV Eindhoven and Red Star Belgrade respectively.
Winless Celtic are condemned to last place in Group E and sign off by hosting a Feyenoord side certain to finish third.
Europa League
Rangers travel to Group C leaders Real Betis with qualification on the line.
Victory would seal it for Philippe Clement’s side but anything less would open the door for Sparta Prague, who face bottom side Aris Limassol.
West Ham and Brighton are already through but top spots in their respective Groups A and B – which mean avoiding a play-off tie against a team dropping out of the Champions League – are still to be determined.
The Hammers’ clash with Freiburg and Brighton’s meeting with Marseille, both at home, are effectively shootouts for first place.
Liverpool are already guaranteed top place in Group E regardless of their result at Belgian league leaders Union Saint-Gilloise.
Europa Conference League
Aston Villa have already secured their place in the knockout stages and will win Group E if they avoid defeat at Bosnian side Zrinjski Mostar.
Aberdeen, who are out of contention, end their campaign at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.
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