Cristiano Ronaldo believes there has been a lack of progress at Manchester United since he originally left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2009.
The 37-year-old spent six years at United in what was a successful period for the club, as Ronaldo passed away the same season his side won the Premier League title in 2008-09.
Ronaldo then left for Real Madrid in what was then a world record fee and in an interview with Piers Morgan by TalkTV, he claimed he was surprised by the lack of changes within United since his return in the summer of 2021.
He said: “Honestly, when I signed for Manchester United (for the second time), I thought everything had changed because it had been 13 years (since I was at the club).
“I was at Real Madrid nine years and three years at Juventus. When I arrived I thought everything would be different, you know, technology, infrastructures and everything. But I was surprised, in a bad way, let’s say that way because I saw that everything was the same.
“I was surprised. I thought when I signed they were going to sign in that year, Sancho, Varane and me, that things would be the way Manchester should be.
“At United, the progress was zero, in my opinion. For comparison with Real Madrid and even Juventus, they are following the rest of the world, so technology surprised me, especially in terms of training, nutrition, conditions for eating right and recovering better than before. Manchester is now for comparison with this club , I think it’s late in my opinion, which surprised me.
“A club of this dimension should be at the top of the tree in my opinion and unfortunately they are not. They are not at that level. But I hope that in the coming years they can reach a high level.
“I don’t know what’s going on but since Sir Alex Ferguson left I haven’t seen any development in the club, progress has been zero.”
In a series of promotional videos released prior to the first part of the interview, Ronaldo said he felt “betrayed” by the club, disrespected by manager Erik ten Hag, and being forced out of United. He also scored a criticism of the owners of the Glazer family.
United said in a statement on Monday: “Manchester United refers to the media coverage of an interview given by Cristiano Ronaldo.
“The club will consider its response after confirming the full facts.
“Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, faith and synergy that is being built between the players, manager, staff and fans.”
The full interview, Piers Morgan Uncensored: 90 Minutes with Ronaldo, will air Thursday at 8pm BST on TalkTV.
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