Cristiano Ronaldo insists he 'still loves' Man Utd with acrimonious end to second spell at Old Trafford out of his 'control'

Ronaldo made headlines in November 2022 when he sat down with sensationalist media figure Piers Morgan for a controversial interview in which he disrespected Erik ten Hag and fired shots at Ralf Rangnick. He left the club just days later, but has insisted in a new interview with Rio Ferdinand that he "still loves" Manchester United.

In a short preview for the interview on 'Rio Ferdinand Presents', Ronaldo said: "We cannot control some points in our life sometimes, but it's done... I repeat, I still love Manchester United and I wish them the best."

Some fans may argue that if Ronaldo truly loved the club, he wouldn't have left them in the lurch in 2022. The absence of a striker following the Portuguese international's departure meant they were forced to bring in Wout Weghorst on loan, and the Dutchman proved to be a feeble replacement. There are still plenty of issues at Old Trafford today, but the club appears to be in a better place now than when Ronaldo left, with Ten Hag's mixed tenure at least including FA Cup and League Cup success.

The Al-Nassr striker recently netted his 900th career goal in a Nations League match for Portugal against Croatia. It's an astounding achievement, but Ronaldo doesn't look like he'll be stopping any time soon. He returns to league action with a match against Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.