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:
Marcus Rashford rubbishes rumours of ‘£500k-a-week’ contract demands
Danny Jones
Marcus Rashford has quickly quashed rumours that he and his agent were eyeing up a new ‘£500k-a-week’ contract at Manchester United following a story by the Daily Star.
The Manchester Unitedstar, who is currently enjoying the best season of his career so far, was reported by sports writer Jeremy Cross to have been looking for a £500k-a-week as he approaches the final 12 months of his current contract and the club are keen to tie him down on a new long-term deal.
While negotiations are believed to have begun, there wasn’t just little evidence to support these claims: there was none — with the outlet simply suggesting that he wanted to be the highest-earner in the Premier League above the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland and teammate David de Gea.
All three referenced are said to be on weekly wages of between £375,000-£400,000, and Cross also referenced Cristiano Ronaldo’s massive wages after his return to the club, but as the in-form number 10 qualified shortly after on Twitter, his claims were all “complete nonsense”.
Just before this one starts to do the rounds! It's complete nonsense. The club and make self have been respectful to one another, and that's how it will remain. My focus is purely on finishing as well as possible in the league and winning trophies.
As you can see, the 25-year-old wasted no time in putting the paper talk to bed, insisting that he and the club “have been respectful to one another”.
Rashford was reported to be on upwards of £200k a week in his current contract signed back in 2019 and set to expire in June 2023, but he was one of four players who had extensions triggered by manager Erik ten Hag shortly after he arrived at Old Trafford, alongside Diogo Dalot, Fred and Luke Shaw.
Following United news aggregator UtdPlug sharing the false report, the tweet was soon taken down, with the social media account apologising to Rashford directly and assuring, “it won’t happen again”.
Thankfully, the Wythenshawe-born winger was as understanding as you’d expect, replying: “No problem at all!… I know you are not to blame”.
No problem at all! I was a little annoyed when I saw it, hence the reason for the typo* but I know you are not to blame. 🔴
The England star missed out on the Euro 2024 qualifying matches after withdrawing through injury and was also subject to criticism by some sections of the media for visiting New York shortly after the announcement.
However, Gareth Southgate quickly snuffed out that narrative too, insisting that “once he’s ruled out of the squad, it’s entirely up to him how he spends his time. The players don’t get a lot of breaks… If they get 48 hours with the schedule as it is, I think they have to take advantage of it.”
On the other hand, many Reds have quipped that Rashford and United have simply echoed the days of Sir Alex Ferguson by recalling key players during the international break to avoid any risk of injury and get some added rest.
Either way, he is now back in training and, as he said in his tweet, simply focused on “the league and winning trophies.”
Wigan Athletic’s James McClean reveals autism diagnosis in heartfelt Instagram message
Danny Jones
Wigan Athletic and Ireland star James McClean has revealed his recent autism diagnosis in solidarity with the ASD community and to help support the international week of awareness.
The Latics, long-serving Irish international and former Premier League winger informed his followers of the personal news in a heartwarming social media post with his young daughter who is also autistic.
In contrast to his four-year-old girl, Willow-Ivy — whose autism was recognised early on — McClean has only just learned of his own diagnosis, having “decided to go and get an ASD [autism spectrum disorder] assessment” after spotting “so many small traits in her” that he sees in himself.
Taking to Instagram, the 33-year-old said he felt there was no better time to make this announcement than during Autism Awareness and Acceptance Week (27 March-2 April) and stand in solidarity with his daughter and others who are on the spectrum.
As he details in the caption: “The last 4 years have been life-changing in the most amazing way but also very difficult at times as her daddy watching her overcome so many obstacles in her life and learning how to manage the challenges she faces on a daily basis.
“The more Erin [partner] and I learned about autism the more we began to recognise I was very similar to Willow in more ways than we thought… It’s been a bit of a journey and now having a diagnosis I feel it’s time to share it.”
He goes on to admit that he “debated for a while going public” but that he’s now “done this for Willow-Ivy, to let her know that [he] understand[s] and that being autistic won’t and should never hold her back from reaching her goals and dreams.” Such a lovely and inspiring message.
No one should ever feel like they need to hide what makes them the person that they are a secret. We applaud you for speaking out, James, and wish you and your little girl all the best.
Danny Jones -
17th November 2022 
