EPL

'There was no other choice' – Rooney unsurprised by Ronaldo's Man Utd exit

By Sports Desk November 22, 2022

Wayne Rooney was not surprised by Manchester United's decision to part company with Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the club had "no other choice".

Ronaldo's United departure seemed inevitable when he gave an explosive interview to Piers Morgan, saying the club had "betrayed" him and declaring he did not respect manager Erik ten Hag.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner also used the interview to attack several former United players who had criticised his conduct this season.  

Rooney labelled Ronaldo's actions an "unwanted distraction" after he was suspended by United for refusing to come on as a substitute in last month's win over Tottenham, comments the Portugal forward subsequently said were rooted in jealousy. 

On Tuesday, United announced Ronaldo had left the club by mutual agreement, a decision Rooney believes was inevitable.

Speaking to Sports 18 following the club's announcement, Rooney said: "Am I surprised? No. 

"There was no other choice, but that's a shame because he's been a fantastic servant to the club. I wish him the best wherever he goes."

Ronaldo leaves United having scored 145 goals across two spells at Old Trafford, though he only found the net once for the Red Devils in the Premier League this campaign.

Related items

  • Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory

    Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.

    Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.

    The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.

    Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.

    Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.

    Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.

    Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign. 

    Data Debrief: Total dominance

    Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.

    Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.

    Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10. 

  • 'It will happen in a year, two years' - Ronaldo hints at retirement date 'It will happen in a year, two years' - Ronaldo hints at retirement date

    Cristiano Ronaldo says it will be one or two years before he retires from football as he aims to enjoy the end of his career.

    The 39-year-old scored twice on Friday, including a stunning overhead kick, as Portugal cruised past Poland 5-1 in the Nations League, to clinch top spot of Group A1.

    Overall, Ronaldo has now netted 910 times in his career, with 135 of those coming for Portugal, including five goals in five Nations League appearances this campaign.

    Ronaldo has dropped hints in recent months though that his retirement is drawing closer, with his 40th birthday coming up in February, and he says his main goal is to enjoy playing football while he still can.

    "Planning the retirement of football... It will happen in a year, two years, I don't know," Ronaldo said.

    "I say honestly, it's not a joke, it's enjoying the moment, feeling that I'm enjoying football. Get up and go to training and to the game motivated.

    "When I don't feel that, I'll step forward and say, 'I can't do it anymore.' It's an excellent career, I haven't felt it yet."

    He was a standout once again for Portugal as he finished the match against Poland with a game-high 2.06 expected goals (xG), generated from five shots, the most of any player on the pitch.

    Ronaldo hit the 900-goal mark in September, with many believing he would next be targeting 1,000 as another goal in his storied career.

    The forward has scored 10 more goals since then but insisted he was not actively thinking about making it to four figures.

    "If you ask me if I want to reach a thousand goals... It's normal to want it. But I don't think about it," he added.

    "Think game by game. In three months, I will be 40 years old. It's about taking it easy and enjoying.

    "That's what I've been doing, especially in the national team, which is where I like to play the most. I like to play for the national team, and I really enjoy coming here. Scoring goals and good performances helps too.

    "Day by day. Enjoy goal after goal. Enjoy the moment. The thousand goals don't matter to me at all, honestly."

  • Amorim wants Man Utd players to be inspired by club's history Amorim wants Man Utd players to be inspired by club's history

    Ruben Amorim wants his Manchester United players to be inspired by the club's history as he bids to bring a winning mentality back to Old Trafford. 

    Amorim, taking over at the Premier League club following the departure of Erik ten Hag, was speaking in his first interview with the club after a tour of their home venue. 

    The Portuguese tactician had visited Old Trafford earlier in the week and met a group of supporters, as well as the women's team's vice-captain, England star Ella Toone.

    "When you come [to Old Trafford], it's so different. You see the trophies, you see the tragedy that we have as a club. The history," said Amorim. 

    The 39-year-old added the manner in which the club defied the odds to succeed under Matt Busby after the Munich air disaster in 1958 should be a particular source of inspiration.

    "This kind of strength, I think it's important to put in our team. When the players come here, they should take the stadium tour all the time. I think this is very important to do," Amorim said. 

     

    "It's normal if you go a lot of years without winning, you start losing that feeling. So I think we need to put all the players doing the same thing, to regain that feeling.

    "We haven't won the Premier League for a long time. But if you ask, United is the biggest club in England.

    "So this is part of history, it is not now. So we have to address that, to show that and to try to win again."

    Asked what his footballing philosophy is, the former midfielder said it all comes down to being a team. 

    "The team is the most important thing for me. And if you work as a team, then the talent individually is going to shine," he said. 

    "But if I have to explain the importance of everything, it is the character, the way we fight, the way we play, and we must have an identity.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.