Man United starts 'appropriate steps' following Rolando's interview

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English football club Machester United issued a statement on Friday saying that the club has "initiated appropriate steps" after their player Cristiano Ronaldo revealed in an interview on TalkTV last Thursday night that he refused to participate in the match against Tottenham in October and left the stadium after he felt "provoked" by the team's manager Erik Ten Hag.

After quotes from the interview surfaced last Sunday published by The Sun, the premier league club said that their response will be decided "after the full facts have been established".

Read more: Ronaldo on Man Utd's Erik ten Hag: "I have no respect for him"

Earlier in October, Manchester United played against Manchester City as Cristiano Ronaldo did not start the match and remained on the bench during kickoff, and as his team was down 6-3 Ten Hag did not allow Ronaldo in the game.

Ronaldo said during the interview that he refused to come on during the game against Tottenham later because he thinks that Ten Hag intentionally did it.

"You don't put me on against Manchester City because of respect for my career and you want to put me on for three minutes against Tottenham? It doesn't make sense," he said.

"I think he did it on purpose. I felt provoked not only because of that game. but before. He doesn't respect [me] the way I should deserve."

The player later in the interview expressed that it was "something that I regret, leaving the stadium [against Tottenham]. Probably, or maybe no, I don't know.," adding that, "It's difficult to tell you 100 per cent but let's say I regret, but in the same way I felt provoked by the coach."

The club later stated that it will not comment on the incident "until this process reaches its conclusion."

In an interview later with Piers Morgan, Erik ten Hag told Manchester United bosses that Cristiano Ronaldo should "never play for them again."

Ten Hag delayed his family holiday until after Ronaldo's interview and demanded he never play for the club again, claiming he has gone too far in criticizing Manchester United. Ten Hag conducted a meeting on Monday with co-chairman Joel Glazer, chief executive Richard Arnold, and football director John Murtough to relay his views.

With current manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo has lost support, alongside disciplinary issues, scoring only once in 10 league appearances this season. He wanted to leave the club after the last season, but failed to gather much interest among European elites given his age and hefty wage demands.

After this interview, Ronaldo's outing from the club in January seems inevitable.