Roy Keane is still finding ways to stick up for Cristiano Ronaldo after his contract was terminated yesterday by Manchester United.
After months of speculation regarding Ronaldo's future at the club, the 37-year-old left Manchester United yesterday evening. Following his infamous interview with Piers Morgan, it became a matter of when, not if, he would leave the club.
Under Erik Ten Hag, he struggled to get into the starting side, with the Dutch man opting for quicker, younger players in the side. For the first time in his career, he wasn't the main player at this club.
Ronaldo's role became the subject of huge speculation, as some pundits praised Ten Hag for putting Manchester United first, while other claimed the five time Ballan D'or winner was disrespected by the club.
Keane On Ronaldo
One person who always stuck up for Ronaldo was his former teammate Roy Keane, and has continued to do so despite his exit.
The former Ireland midfielder has often said Ronaldo should be treated differently due to his status in the club, and maintained that stance when speaking on ITV, claiming he should have left Manchester United in the summer.
Roy Keane has been criticised for backing Ronaldo in this saga, but is continuing to stick by his views on the controversial exit.
💬 "Ronaldo should have left in the summer"
😬 "I think they're better without him!"
🔊 Get the sound on for a couple minutes of gold with Roy, Karen & @IanWright0 debating the Man Utd x Cristiano Ronaldo debacle ❌ pic.twitter.com/hyfpCs45Ng— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 23, 2022
"He should have left in the summer, the new manager was never going to play him. You cannot have Ronaldo as a fringe player, it is just not right.
You do have to the treat the top players differently. I don’t want to go down the road again about pressing, Ronaldo did not come back to the club to do that, he came back to score goals.
Let him go in the summer before it gets really messy. Ronaldo has run out of patience there. I think it is really straightforward, people say is his reputation at United tarnished. Far from it. United fans aren’t daft.
Ronaldo will go down as one of the greatest players. It has not ended well, but that’s life. I think he will be delighted to be among the Portuguese squad and show its qualities"
Where Ronaldo goes from here is anyone's guess. A move to Newcastle or even Chelsea has been rumoured, while a return home to Sporting Lisbon could be tempting for the Portugal striker.
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