JAMIE CARRAGHER has torn into wantaway Cristiano Ronaldo saying NONE of Erik ten Hag, Manchester United or rival clubs want him.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, 37, has publicly stated his desire to quit Old Trafford this summer, just one year after his return from Juventus.
Agent Jorge Mendes has put him in the shop window, but Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid have all rejected the chance to sign him.
Ronaldo made his return to the United first-team on Sunday when he played the first-half of the 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano.
But after being hauled off at half-time, the forward was spotted leaving the ground before full-time – with Ten Hag calling it “unacceptable”.
Carragher now reckons Ten Hag and the United squad no longer want him, let alone rival clubs.
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Speaking with Gary Neville on The Overlap, Carragher ranted: “I always thought [Ronaldo] was a bizarre signing.
“I always felt this situation would come, even if Ronaldo did great for [United].
“He signed a two-year deal plus another year, which I couldn’t believe.
“He’s never going to play second fiddle to anyone but as players at a certain stage in your career we all know that you’re not the same player.
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“His career has gone on longer because he’s such a great professional.
“But the fact he’s now 37, 38 this season, he’s not the same player. He’s still a great goalscorer but he’s not the same player.”
Carragher continued: “No other club in Europe at this moment wants him, I might be wrong.
“But it doesn’t look like United can get him out, so at the moment other clubs don’t want him.
“And I think if you asked Ten Hag, I don’t think he wants him.
“And I’m not quite sure the dressing room at Manchester United would want Cristiano Ronaldo right now.”
Neville went a step further and said United MUST axe Ronaldo as it’s their only option.
The ex-Red Devils skipper explained: “It’s unpalatable for me to watch, as an ex-United captain, an ex-United senior player, thinking that the star player in the dressing room is playing up.
“It happened at times over the last few years where you had Paul Pogba’s agent – not necessarily Pogba all the time but his agent – always playing up with the club.
“You can’t have your star player in a club running the shop. You cannot have it.
“We know [Ronaldo] can’t do [high pressing] – and the way in which he wants to play on the ball, I’m not sure he fits into Ten Hag’s way.
“When that statement came out that Ronaldo wants to leave and then the Monday morning I think something else came out – I’m not sure the club were even aware.
“The timing was horrific coming into the start of the season, it undermined Ten Hag straight away – it meant that Ten Hag literally has had every single press conference that he does is just obliterated by the Ronaldo issue.
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“I think looking back, Pep [Guardiola], [Jurgen] Klopp, [Antonio] Conte, Sir Alex Ferguson – if a player becomes the dominating factor, and a distraction in the press conference for a manager, there’s only one thing that has to happen.
“We all know it.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
