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    Piers Morgan slams Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag over claims Cristiano Ronaldo ‘wasn’t in good shape’ before shock exit

    CRISTIANO RONALDO’s pal Piers Morgan has slammed Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag over claims the 819 career-goal forward wasn’t in good shape.Man Utd ripped up Ronaldo’s contract after his bombshell interview with SunSport columnist and TalkTV main man Morgan.
    Ten Hag suggested Ronaldo was not fit before his United exitCredit: AP
    Morgan has hit back at ‘clown’ Ten Hag for his recent Ronaldo commentsCredit: TalkTV
    In that interview, the 37-year-old took aim at his then employers, as well as his manager Ten Hag, claiming he does not respect the Dutchman.
    Ronaldo vented his frustration after spending large parts of this season on the bench, and even refused to come on as a substitute in the Premier League win over Tottenham.
    Ten Hag addressed Ronaldo’s comments while away preparing his Red Devils for the restart of competitive football post-World Cup.
    The Dutchman hinted Ronaldo’s lack of fitness may have contributed to his exile.
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    He said: “When he is in good shape, he is a good player and he could help us to get back and achieve the objectives we have.
    “That is quite clear. But he wasn’t.”
    Pal Morgan has hit back at Ten Hag, labelling the United manager a “clown”.
    Morgan fumed: “‘When he’s in good shape, he’s a good player.’
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    “Hard to imagine why Ronaldo felt disrespected by this clown, isn’t it..”
    Ronaldo is fully focussed on Portugal’s World Cup campaign, where he is treading unfamiliar territory of the substitutes bench on the international stage.
    After a lacklustre group stage showing in which he scored just one goal, coming from the penalty spot, Ronaldo was dropped for Portugal’s round of 16 clash with Switzerland.
    And 21-year-old replacement Goncalo Ramos netted a hat-trick with Ronaldo watching on.
    However, reports of Ronaldo causing unrest in the camp have been dismissed as well wide of the mark by the Portuguese FA.
    Ronaldo’s next club is unknown, but a mega-contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr is said to be on the table.
    Portugal face World Cup dark horses Morocco on Saturday with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs. More

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    Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo ‘WASN’T in good shape’ as he opens up on star’s sensational Man Utd axe

    ERIK TEN HAG hinted Cristiano Ronaldo’s lack of fitness may have contributed to his exile from the Manchester United team.The Red Devils boss took over at Old Trafford in the summer but decided to use Ronaldo as a bit-part player off the bench in the Premier League.
    Erik ten Hag has had his say on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United exitCredit: Reuters
    The Red Devils boss appeared to question the Portuguese forward’s physical shapeCredit: @cristiano
    Ronaldo missed pre-season with the club because his daughter was ill.
    And he struggled to make his mark when he did his limited chances – scoring once in ten league appearances – before his explosive interview with Piers Morgan that resulted in his axe.
    But now Ten Hag – who Ronaldo claimed he did not respect – has had his say on the 37-year-old’s acrimonious exit.
    The Dutchman said: “It was not my objective. It looks like it, but it was not my objective.
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    “We wanted him to be part of our project, him to contribute to Manchester United because he is a great player.
    “He has such a great history, but it’s the past and we have to look into the future and I don’t spend my energy on it.
    “I wanted him to stay from the first moment until now.
    “He wanted to leave, it was quite clear.
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    “And when a player definitely doesn’t want to be in this club then he has to go, clear.
    “I did everything to bring him into the team because I value his quality.
    “When he is in good shape, he is a good player and he could help us to get back and achieve the objectives we have.
    “That is quite clear. But he wasn’t.”
    Ten Hag was specifically asked about the “no respect” comment from Ronaldo and whether is showed him no decency.
    The ex-Ajax boss replied during United’s mid-season training camp in Spain: “Yes, it is so.
    “In the summer we had one talk.
    “He came in and said, ‘I will tell you in seven days if I want to stay.’
    “Then he came back and said, ‘I want to stay.’
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    “Until that moment (the interview) I never heard anything.
    “I have seen most of it and I think it was quite clear after that he had to leave.”
    Ronaldo is currently in Qatar for the World Cup with PortugalCredit: Getty More

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    Cristiano Ronaldo told Erik ten Hag he wanted to STAY at Man Utd before knifing him in Piers Morgan interview

    ERIK TEN HAG had to watch TV to see for himself how he had been stabbed in the back by Cristiano Ronaldo.The Dutchman had listened to the sulking superstar bleating about getting away from the moment he took over as manager in July.
    Erik ten Hag says Ronaldo told him he wanted to STAY before betraying him on TVCredit: AFP
    But he believed he had a promise from the 37-year-old that he was prepared to stay and help him bring success to Old Trafford.
    Instead Ronaldo went back on his word in the explosive interview with Piers Morgan that got him the sack and cost him the last seven months of his £480,000 per week contract.
    Ten Hag admits that Ronaldo, who said he had “no respect” for the Dutchman, showed him no decency, saying: “Yes, it is so. In the summer we had one talk.
    “He came in and said: ‘I will tell you in seven days if I want to stay’.
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    “Then he came back and said ‘I want to stay’. Until that moment (the interview) I never heard anything.”
    Ten Hag is sitting over lunch within a golf complex hotel near Jerez – United’s base for their Spanish break before the restart of the season.
    For the first time he is reflecting on the crazy 33 days that brought to the ugliest of ends what was supposed to have been the romantic return of Ronaldo when he re-signed from Juventus at the start of last season.
    A fierce thunder and lightning storm darkens the secluded dining room – matching Ten Hag’s mood on the thorny subject of the man who also declared that he had been “betrayed” by United.
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    Yet it was the 37 year old who knifed Ten Hag.
    He insists he did everything he could to make Ronaldo happy despite continuing rumblings from the 701-goal striker wanting a move to a Champions League club.
    Ronaldo deserted his team mates, heading up the tunnel in the closing minutes of a 2–0 Premier League win over Tottenham on October 19.
    On November 16 THAT interview with Morgan aired after The Sun had exclusively revealed some of the shocking allegations from Ronaldo that damned United.
    Ronaldo was unceremoniously sacked six days after that – but such an outcome, vows Ten Hag, was never on his agenda.
    He said: “It was not my objective. It looks like it, but it was not my objective. We wanted him to be part of our project.
    “Him to contribute to Manchester United because he is a great player.
    “He has such a great history, but it’s the past and we have to look into the future and I don’t spend my energy on it.
    I did everything to bring Ronaldo into the team because I value his qualityERIK TEN HAG
    “I wanted him to stay from the first moment until now. He wanted to leave, it was quite clear.
    “And when a player definitely doesn’t want to be in this club then he has to go, clear.
    “I did everything to bring him into the team because I value his quality.
    “When he is in good shape, he is a good player and he could help us to get back and achieve the objectives we have. That is quite clear. But he wasn’t.”
    Ronaldo had already been banished by Ten Hag for walking out on his team towards the end of that win against Spurs.
    Yet in what turned out to be his last game in a Man United shirt, a 3–1 Prem win over Aston Villa on November 6, he was still made captain.
    And Ten Hag even admits that had Ronaldo stayed on-message there might have been a new contract for him.
    RON DEAL ON TABLE
    Asked if the veteran, who could be dumped to the bench once again by Portugal in Saturday’s World Cup quarter final with Morocco, might have earned a new deal had he showed the right fitness and attitude he replied: “Yes, potentially, should he fit in. It is theoretical.”
    But Ten Hag stressed he wouldn’t have been against the idea of him signing on again saying: “Definitely not.
    “Last year he scored 24 goals, yes? So what does this team need? We need goals.”
    Instead Anthony Martial, who scored from the spot in a midweek 4–2 friendly defeat to Cadiz, will be asked to provide them.
    And it was obvious to Ten Hag that would have to be the case once he viewed Ronaldo effectively talking himself out of United
    All the former Ajax manager had to do was point his remote control at the telly to know that.
    He said of the interview: “I have seen most of it. I have to do it. It is part of my job to do it.
    “And I think it was quite clear after that he had to leave.”
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    Ten Hag, who takes his non–World Cup squad into another friendly against Real Betis tomorrow, repeated: “Now is the time to move on.
    “The club can only be successful when all the decision makers are on one page and they back each other. That is the only way the club can be successful and operate.” More

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    Cristiano Ronaldo talked himself out of potential £25MILLION, as Ten Hag reveals he WASN’T against new Man Utd contract

    CRISTIANO RONALDO talked himself out of a potential £25million new deal thanks to his bitter TV attack on Manchester United.For boss Erik ten Hag has revealed he would have considered keeping on the sacked superstar had he buckled down and kept his trap shut.
    Ronaldo said he had been ‘betrayed’ by UnitedCredit: Getty
    Ten Hag revealed he would have been open to keeping Ronaldo beyond next summerCredit: Getty
    Ronaldo said in his blistering telly interview with Piers Morgan that he had been “betrayed” by United, adding that he had “no respect” for Ten Hag.
    Yet the Dutchman reveals he would have been open to letting him sign a new £480,000 deal next summer.
    Asked if he would have been against a further deal for the 37-year-old he declared : “Definitely not.
    “It is theoretical but yes, potentially, should he fit in.
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    “Last year he scored 24 goals, yes? So what does this team need?
    “We need goals.”
    Instead, six days after his controversial tell–all interview with Morgan the contract that still had seven months to run was torn up.
    Ten Hag says : “It was not my objective. It looks like it, but it was not my objective.
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    “We wanted him to be part of our project.
    “Him to contribute to Manchester United because he is a great player.
    “He has such a great history, but it’s the past and we have to look into the future and I don’t spend my energy on it.
    “I wanted him to stay from the first moment until now.
    “But he wanted to leave, it was quite clear, and after that interview it was clear he had to leave.”
    Ronaldo has reportedly been offered the opportunity to play in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr, with a cool £173m a year deal being put on the table for him. More

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    Man Utd ‘to push ahead with new Diogo Dalot contract and will hold talks with Portugal star after World Cup’

    MANCHESTER UNITED have reportedly pushed forward their timeline in offering Diogo Dalot a new contract. The Portuguese defender has been in excellent form this season which has seen him nail down a spot as the club’s starting right-back under Erik ten Hag.
    Diogo Dalot is set to earn a new deal at Old TraffordCredit: Getty
    Dalot has been in impressive form this seasonCredit: Getty
    However, the 23-year-old is out of contract next summer and the club are under pressure to get a deal over the line quickly before other interested parties can submit pre-contract offers to swipe him away.
    According to Fabrizio Romano, United have been impressed with his form – which even saw him usurp Joao Cancelo in the Portugal starting XI for their latest World Cup game against Switzerland.
    He reports a meeting is expected to take place between Dalot and the club after the World Cup.
    A plan has also been put in place regarding the transfer market surrounding the club’s right back position.
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    Dalot has played in all but one game for United this season, with £50million man Aaron Wan-Bissaka unable to get a sniff of a starting role.
    Indeed, the one game Dalot missed through suspension saw the right-back slot filled by Tyrell Malacia – who had initially usurped Luke Shaw at left-back before the England man came into form.
    United’s plan will see the former Crystal Palace star sold to make room for a new right-back to compete with Dalot.
    Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong has been linked with a move to Old Trafford.
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    The 21-year-old is highly-rated and can operate as either a right-back or as a right-midfielder.
    But this season the £25m-rated Dutchman has predominantly been a right midfielder in the Bundesliga, chipping in with five goals and an assist. More

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    Louis van Gaal ‘has missed call from Man Utd spotted on phone’ amid Cody Gakpo transfer pursuit

    HOLLAND boss Louis van Gaal has reportedly had Manchester United on the phone to him during the World Cup.The Red Devils have been strongly linked with a January move for Dutch star Cody Gakpo.
    Cody Gakpo is a transfer target for Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
    Holland manager Louis van Gaal is alleged to have had missed calls from Manchester United during the World CupCredit: Getty
    PSV ace Gakpo, 23, has scored three goals in four World Cup games.
    And speculation of a potential transfer to United appears to have heightened even further.
    According to the Mirror, well respected Dutch journalist Valentijn Driessen recently found a phone left unattended in a Doha hotel toilet.
    Pressing the home button to find out whose it was to return it to its owner, Driessen saw a picture of Van Gaal with his wife Truus as the lock screen.
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    And it is alleged there were two missed calls from a caller saved as “Manchester United”.
    After discovering the phone belonged to Van Gaal, Driessen is said to have quickly returned it to the Holland gaffer.
    But his shocking discovery appears to have fuelled more rumours of a Gakpo switch to Old Trafford.
    SunSport exclusively revealed earlier this month that the Red Devils are readying a January bid for the forward.
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    Gakpo himself also recently hinted at a move to United.
    He told Dutch newspaper NRC : “I thought about Manchester United, but when that didn’t happen, I couldn’t remember. And I started to doubt. Leeds United did come. Should I go there?
    “Now I wait for everything. I haven’t heard from Manchester United yet. When they come, I’ll think about it. I also seek the help of God in these decisions.”
    Gakpo will be hoping to continue his stunning form tonight as Holland face Argentina in the quarter-finals.
    Whoever comes out on top will face the winners of Brazil vs Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals. More

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    Real Madrid mull transfer bid for Alejandro Garnacho, with Man Utd wonderkid yet to pen new deal and ‘liking’ Spain idea

    MANCHESTER UNITED wonderkid Alejandro Garnacho is reportedly being lined up for a move by Real Madrid.The Argentinian is viewed as one of the most exciting prospects in the Premier League after breaking into the Red Devils squad this season.
    Alejandro Garnacho is reportedly attracting interest from Real MadridCredit: Getty
    Due to his good form, United are keen to tie him down to new fresh terms, with it being suggested they could increase his £5,000 oer week wages tenfold.
    However, this could be made harder with La Liga giants Real Madrid believed to be keen on signing the 18-year-old, according to Relevo.
    The outlet claim that Madrid are monitoring his situation at Old Trafford and they consider him “one of the great stars of the future.”
    Garnacho was born in Madrid and came through the ranks at Atletico Madrid before his move to Manchester in 2020.
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    The report also says that “Madrid and Garnacho like each other”, but there are other clubs interested in signing him.
    During the Premier League break for the World Cup, Garnacho took a trip to Madrid to spend time with his family.
    Although, United is trying to cement his future and have held multiple meetings with his representatives.
    Garnacho’s contract expires in 2023 so the Red Devils will have to act fast in order to get his signature.
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    Garnacho was in action for United in their friendly match against Cadiz this week.
    But he was not able to help his side win the match as they lost 4-2. More

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    PSG chief reveals plans to sign Marcus Rashford in January and confirms transfer talks with Man Utd star

    PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has admitted that he has planned talks with Marcus Rashford over a transfer in January.The English attacker’s deal at Old Trafford expires at the end of the current season, and will be able to negotiate with clubs in the new year over a pre-contract agreement.
    PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has suggested that he wants to sign Marcus Rashford on a free transferCredit: EPA
    Man United’s Rashford is currently at the World Cup with EnglandCredit: Getty
    Rashford has looked close to his best self this season, as he has scored eight goals and assisted three more in 19 appearances in all competitions.
    He has done even better on the biggest stage as he has scored three times for England at the World Cup in Qatar.
    This form has seen him attract interest from around Europe, with Al-Khelaifi admitting that he is an amazing player.
    He said: “He’s another player who’s amazing and for free? To have Rashford for free, every club will run after him.
    READ MORE ON MARCUS RASHFORD
    “Definitely, we spoke before and interest, but the moment was not a good moment for both sides.
    “Maybe summer, why not? If he is a free agent, we can talk to him directly.
    “But we are not going to talk to him now and let him focus on the World Cup.
    “In January, hopefully, we would be interested in talking to him.”
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    The talk over Rashford’s future will not be welcome by Manchester United.
    The Red Devils are keen to keep hold of their former youth academy star and they do have the option to trigger a 12-month extension to his current £200,000-a-week contract.
    PSG could view Rashford as a replacement for Lionel Messi, who is also out of contract at the end of the season. More