Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo ignored his former teammate Gary Neville ahead of the Red Devils’ clash against West Ham on October 30. Notably, the Old Trafford legend-turned-pundit had criticized the Portugal international’s refusal to play as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur.
This clearly did not sit well with Ronaldo, who pointedly ignored Neville, as can be seen in the video below:
Gary Neville getting aired by Cristiano Ronaldo…
The forward went to the Sky Sports pundits covering the game. He hugged former Manchester United teammate Louis Saha and former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp. However, he proceeded to go onto the pitch, ignoring Neville’s presence on the touchline.
Neville cracked a joke about it immediately afterwards, stating:
“We’re off the Christmas cards, aren’t we?”
Clearly, Ronaldo is currently holding a grudge against Neville for the pundit’s words following the Tottenham game.
The Portuguese ace refused to be subbed on and walked down the tunnel during the match. Speaking on Sky Sports about the same, the pundit explained why the Red Devils should let Ronaldo go:
“Ronaldo can’t accept not being the star man in Manchester United’s team so he’s going to have to leave – that’s it.”
Erik ten Hag has made it clear that Ronaldo will remain a Red Devil for the foreseeable future, and a January move is out of the question. In the meantime, it seems that Neville’s words struck a nerve, and the 37-year-old has yet to forgive his former teammate.
Sporting CP are prepared to make a move for unsettled Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo
While Manchester United have clearly resolved to hold onto the ace striker, his childhood club in Portugal has other intentions. Despite wide knowledge about Ronaldo’s decision to exit Old Trafford, United have held onto him.
However, so far this season, he has mostly been used as a substitute as he has started just seven matches in all competitions.
According to The Mirror, Sporting are prepared to make a move for their former youngster, and are intent on signing him on with his massive wages. In return, they will be offering him an unprecedented opportunity to return to UEFA Champions League football.
Ronaldo joined the Red Devils from Sporting in 2003 after registering five goals and six assists in 31 matches for the club.
However, the Old Trafford hierarchy do not want to sell the five-time Ballon d’Or winner at this time. It is expected that he will remain a Manchester United player for the rest of the season.
To read more news, click here.
