Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that legendary former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson convinced him to turn down Manchester City to return to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021.
When it became clear that the Portugal international was set to leave Juventus in the latter stages of the transfer window, Man City emerged as the favourites for his signature.
However, Man United swooped in at the final moment to agree a deal to re-sign the now 37-year-old, who initially turned out for the Red Devils between 2003 and 2009.
Ronaldo said that he ultimately 'followed his heart', with Ferguson telling him that it would be "impossible" to make the move to the Citizens considering his status on the red side of Manchester.
"I followed my heart. He (Sir Alex) said to me, 'it's impossible for you to go to Manchester City', and I said, 'OK, boss,'" Ronaldo said during his explosive interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV.
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Ronaldo scored 24 goals in 38 appearances for Man United during the 2021-22 campaign, including 18 strikes in 30 outings in the Premier League.
However, the forward has found it difficult to make his mark this season, only scoring three times in 16 appearances, with just one of those strikes coming in the Premier League.
During his interview with Morgan, which became public on Sunday night, Ronaldo hit out at current Man United boss Erik ten Hag, claiming that he does not "have respect" for the Dutchman.
The Portuguese also criticised the club's former interim head coach Ralf Rangnick, and the team's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney, during the interview.
The attacker has now seemingly played his last game for Man United, who released a statement on Monday afternoon detailing their current position.
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Former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher has said that Man United should look to sack Ronaldo, who has a contract at Old Trafford until the end of the campaign.
"It's felt like that since he came back, it's basically been the Cristiano Ronaldo show, sometimes that's been good, last season on the pitch got a lot of goals," Carragher told Sky Sports News.
"This season because he's not played a lot, it seems like he's craving the attention he can't get because he's not on the pitch.
"I think they should sack him or move him on whether that's giving him a free transfer because at the moment, they're trying to build something that's not ready to win the Premier League or the Champions League right now."
Ronaldo is currently preparing to represent Portugal at the 2022 World Cup, with Fernando Santos's side opening their Group H campaign against Ghana on November 24.
Matt Law
