Sportsmail understands that United have started the legal process to effectively sack Ronaldo, tearing up his £500,000-a-week contract without paying the Portuguese star a penny of the £16m he would have earned until it expires in June. United’s lawyers are satisfied Ronaldo breached the terms of his contract with his explosive accusations against the club, the Glazers, manager Erik ten Hag and his team-mates. The interview aired in two parts on Wednesday and Thursday following a series of clips from the weekend. United said earlier in the week it would consider its response once the full facts were known and issued a statement on Friday. It read: “Manchester United have this morning initiated appropriate measures in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent media interview. We will not comment further until this process is complete.” United felt they had to respond to Ronaldo’s claims but would not comment on what the process would entail. Manchester United say they have taken ‘appropriate action’ in response to Cristiano Ronaldo bombshell interview – starting process to sack Portugal star This is the first public statement released by United since the interview aired Sportsmail exclusively reported on Monday that United will look to offload Ronaldo However, it is understood to be about taking legal action to cancel the contract. United are loathe to pay Ronaldo any compensation because it would be seen as rewarding disloyalty. The Glazers, chief executive Richard Arnold, director of football John Murtaugh and Ten Haag decided that Ronaldo had burned his bridges at Old Trafford and there was no way for him to return to the club. They rejected the idea of ​​more disciplinary action after Ronaldo was sent off and forced to train alone last month after he walked off the win over Tottenham refusing to come on as a substitute. Ronaldo’s team-mates also expect him to leave with the mood towards him described on Friday morning as “ambivalent”. Portugal international Ronaldo, 37, has put his future at United in serious jeopardy after the unacceptable interview in which he criticized manager Erik ten Haag and the club’s ownership. Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV continues to cause drama Sportsmail revealed earlier this week that United are consulting lawyers over whether his comments constitute a breach of his £500,000-a-week contract. The United hierarchy wanted to wait until the full TalkTV interview – which was in two parts on Wednesday and Thursday night – aired before deciding whether to take action. Ronaldo instigated the interview with Morgan, which is timed to coincide with the World Cup break, when United will be away from Portugal for at least three weeks. The 37-year-old, who returned to United for a second spell in the summer of 2021, accused Ten Haag and executives of trying to force him out of the club. The Dutch coach, who took over in the summer, dropped Ronaldo to the bench and reduced his playing time, much to the Portuguese star’s annoyance. “I have no respect for him [Ten Hag] because he shows no respect for me,” Ronaldo told Morgan. “Some people don’t want me here – not just the manager but the other two or three guys. Not only this year, but last year as well. “Honestly, I shouldn’t say that. But listen, I don’t care. People need to hear the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed.’ Ronaldo claimed he feels “betrayed” by United and said he has “no respect” for boss Erik ten Haag. Ronaldo believes United haven’t improved at all since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 In the explosive interview with friend Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Ronaldo also criticized the club’s recent progress since he first left in 2009. He added: “Since Sir Alex Ferguson left I haven’t seen any development at the club, zero progress. Nothing changed. Not only the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym. They stopped in time, which surprised me a lot. “I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. But you have some things in you [the club] that don’t help us get to the top level like City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal.” United officials were reportedly confused by Ronaldo’s comments about their Carrington training ground, which has been refurbished in some areas. Ronaldo also raised eyebrows backstage at United after claiming the club “didn’t believe” his daughter Bella was in hospital suffering from bronchitis – causing her to miss their tour of Thailand and Australia in the summer. In his interview, Ronaldo said: “I spoke to the managers and the chairman of Manchester United and they didn’t think anything was wrong, which made me feel bad. Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez tragically revealed their newborn son had died at birth on April 13 and three months later his twin daughters were also hospitalized. Rodriguez is pictured going on a family vacation over the summer, holding daughter Bella “They believed it, but it’s something that really hurt me because they doubted my words. “We had a week in hospital because Bella had major problems and I didn’t go to training because of that. “Because I wasn’t going to leave my family if something happened in pre-season because I didn’t think it was fair to leave my family. “That’s why I didn’t go.” Ronaldo now heads to Qatar World Cup with Portugal to stay away from United The Portugal captain and partner Georgina Rodriguez, 28, revealed their newborn son died at birth on April 18, but his twin daughters Bella survived.
Ronaldo will now be on international duty with Portugal until they are eliminated from the World Cup. Their opening game in Group H is against Ghana next Thursday. Ronaldo played no part in Portugal’s warm-up friendly against Nigeria on Thursday after suffering a stomach bug.