The Cristiano Ronaldo saga rolls on and after having taken aim at countless Manchester United figures, both and present, many are firing back — Gary Neville being one of them.
The former United right-back turned Salford owner and Sky Sports pundit is one of many who the 37-year-old footballer chose to target in his incendiary interview with Piers Morgan on Sunday.
Speaking in the Uncensored exclusive, Ronaldo said of Neville and ex-strike-partner Wayne Rooney: “They don’t really know what’s going on at the training ground, they have to listen to my point of view as well. It’s easy to criticise if they don’t know the whole story.
He went on to add, “they are not my friends, they are colleagues. We played together but we’re not having dinner together”, insisting “they keep criticising me with negativity every time.
Responding to his former teammate’s comments, Neville said that it’s clear Ronaldo‘s second chapter at United has closed and will inevitably be released.
After being asked if he expects CR7 to wear his famous red shirt again, Neville simply replied “no, and l don’t think he wants a way back”, arguing that “he wouldn’t have done this interview if he wanted a way back. He knew it would bring the headlines it has and be the end of his Manchester United career.”
The 47-year-old went on to question why United are hesitating to sack the clearly wantaway player, saying that “they know they have to terminate Cristiano’s contract or they basically open up a precedent so any player can criticise them in the future”.
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Conceding that the sporting icon’s remarks regarding the Glazers and investment in the club we’re accurate, as any other right-minded Red would, he also alluded to them being very obvious and curiously timed given his convenient silence in the past.
It seems clearer than ever that the Portuguese star did the interview knowing full well the outcome he wanted and in hopes of securing a move elsewhere, having reportedly tried to leave United in the previous window. Either way, Neville reiterated that he still has respect for his old clubmate.
🗣️ "I would still shake Cristiano's hand, he may not shake mine."
He went on to say he accepts that he lives “in a world of criticism” and that the dynamic works both ways, but maintains that his admiration for “the best player [he] ever played with” and would still shake his hand even though it may no longer be reciprocated.
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Neville concluded his response by arguing that “it didn’t need to end like that” and “there was probably another way to do it” beyond a hostile tell-all interview organised without the club’s knowledge.
Either way, it didn’t stop Neville from taking a dig at the veteran player shortly after the first part of his interview with Morgan was broadcast, instead drawing attention intention to Salford City‘s FA Cup game.
Tune in to a “World Exclusive” at 8pm tonight
Salford City v Peterborough in the FACUP on ITV 4 channel 120
Not only did Ronaldo receive a frosty reception from his United teammates at Portgual’s World Cup camp, but his current employers’ (for however long that remains the case) have already removed his image from the poster plastered outside Old Trafford.
The Ronaldo return might have sounded like a good idea to fans and people inside the club at the time, but the ending is far from a fairytale.
You can watch Gary Neville’s full interview regarding Ronaldo’s comments here:
Stockport County’s playoff fortunes hampered following Callum Camps injury
Danny Jones
Stockport County’s luck as we head into the crunch time period has taken a less than ideal turn as Callum Camps is confirmed to be injured.
The club now has a clearer idea of how long he’ll be out for, but it’s not great news.
Camps was subbed off in just the 21st minute during County‘s recent away clash with title contenders Wrexham after a full-blooded tackle by fellow midfielder George Dobson – a challenge which went unpunished on the day, much to the frustration of the travelling fans.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester on Friday, 28 March, manager Dave Challinor revealed that the physios expect him to be out for “at least 6 weeks”, meaning he’ll likely miss the rest of the season.
🔵 Stockport midfielder Callum Camps is out for at least 6 weeks. #StockportCounty
As one of County’s most crucial and experienced players, his presence in the middle of the park is likely to be a big miss, especially with the playoff scraps looming large for the promotion hopefuls.
Challinor acknowledged that it’s a big blow not only for the club but the Tameside-born Northern Ireland international, cutting a quietly frustrated figure in his interview and giving away little regarding Camps’ current mentality besides his obvious “disappointment.”
At 29 years old and running out of contract this summer, the injury will no doubt bring an added pressure regarding his future as well, though you would suspect most Stopfordians would like to see him stay at Edgeley Park come 2025/26 if possible.
Not only a reliable operator in the engine room but also considered by plenty of fans as one of their best players this season, there’ll be lots of Hatters worrying how much of an impact this will have on how this year’s League One conclusion pans out.
Even with prior fitness issues in recent years, he’s still managed to make an impact and work his way back into the first-choice matchday squad, and many believe he should be more of a mainstay on the teamsheet for his national team.
Callum Camps was just sublime today and made the difference when he came on. If he’d have been fit more often he’d be right up there as one of our players of the season, he’s been right at it whenever he’s played. https://t.co/7oMZYutCCp
— The Stockport County Shirt Collection (@countyshirts) February 15, 2025
To make matters worse, he’s not the only one set to watch the remaining games from the sidelines, as defender Ryan Rydel also looks set to be out for the next few weeks.
Following an injury suffered at Bolton Wanderers the week prior to the Wrexham game, the Oldham-born left-back who had made 15 appearances for County this season – half of those as an increasingly regular young member of the starting XI – a hamstring problem looks to have cut his campaign short too.
With just over half a dozen league fixtures left, it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll fare if they stay within the playoff places as predicted.
It’s been a frustrating few months for Stockport as they also had to bid a reluctant goodbye to rising star and high-flying loanee Louie Barry, who was recalled by his parent club Aston Villa only for him to be loaned out to Hull City and end up getting injured himself.
When it rains, it pours, as they say.
Infuriating Dobson was allowed to get away with that pretty much for free and now we'll be without a key player for the rest of the season.
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is set to create the UK’s biggest-ever day of running
Danny Jones
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is just a month away now and as this year’s race is once again set to coincide with another major event (quite literally), it’s about to become the biggest day of runningin UK history.
Like, ever…
Greater Manchester is no stranger to making sporting history, be it athletics, football, tennis or otherwise – you name it, we can lay our claim to plenty.
However, stuff like this always makes us feel part of something truly ‘greater’ and genuinely special as the tens of thousands preparing to run through the city centre and surrounding areas are about to put us in the record books in the running world.
Credit: Manchester Marathon
As more than 36,000 racers, joggers, fundraisers and downright legends are scheduled to take on the Manchester Marathon this year – with the annual event on course to break its attendance record – even more will be taking on the equivalent down south, given it is one of the official World Majors.
Recently, the Manchester and London Marathons have been colliding, and with the 2025 editions of both due to take place on the same day for the second year in a row, it means there’ll be an unprecedented number of participants taking on the 26.2-mile challenge.
More accurately, it’s predicted that over 90,000 runners will be out on the roads of the nation’s capital and its second city (yeah, you heard us, Birmingham), which will be the greatest concurrent number in British history – at least on record when it comes to marathons.
The potential milestones don’t stop with just those taking part, either; as per an official press release from the event time, it’s predicted to be a record-breaking day for charity too.
An estimated £80m is set to be raised for charitable causes, including the adidas Manchester Marathon charity partners: the British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer’s Society, The Christie and Cancer Research UK. Incredible stuff.
In one month you’ll be making your way to the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon start line!📢
We are buzzing – are you? Comment the GIF that best describes how you are feeling one month out ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1ioROLfejW
Commenting on what will be a historic day for UK Marathons, Andrew Smith, CEO of A.S.O. UK, said: “Having the adidas Manchester Marathon and the London Marathon take place on the same day — Sunday 27th April — marks a landmark moment for British running.
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of this historic occasion, inspiring 90,000 people to take on 26.2 miles, supported by nearly a million spectators across the country.
As if all this wasn’t already momentous enough, nearly a million spectators are expected to line the streets to cheer on all the PB hopefuls and fundraisers – we can only hope for similarly groundbreaking crowds and levels of support to mark the occasion.
Danny Jones -
17th November 2022 
