“He wasn’t the problem” - Piers Morgan claims Cristiano Ronaldo was let down by Manchester United teammates

Piers Morgan has doubled down on his claim that Cristiano Ronaldo was not the problem at Manchester United during his second spell at the club.

The British broadcaster refered to a recent interview given by former Manchester United coach Mike Phelan, where the latter said that Ronaldo's high standards had created a problem inside the Old Trafford dressing room.

In an interview with Sky Sports (as reported via Mail Sport), Phelan said that Ronaldo's opinionated mindset and high standards created a problem among his team members.

Morgan responded to the Mail Sport tweet containing Phelan's interview with the following message:

Fascinating interview … Phelan confirming what @Cristiano told me - he wasn’t the problem at United. It was the players who didn’t want to work as hard as him who were the problem..

Morgan is a key figure in the Cristiano Ronaldo-Manchester United relationship meltdown, as it was during an interview with the British journalist, where the Portuguese attacker launched a scathing attack on his then employers, United.

During the interview in November 2022, Ronaldo publicly condemned his teammates, coach and overall set-up at the club. That led to a point of no return for the five-time Ballon d'Or, as he left the club the following month via mutual agreement.

It was a sad ending to a relationship that had begun in 2003 on a promising note when the Portuguese attacker had joined the club as a highly rated teenager.

After winning most major trophies in his first spell, including one Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the club in 2021. His second spell ended in December 2022, with the player joining Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr towards the end of that month.

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What did Phelan say about Cristiano Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United?

Phelan, during his interview with Sky Sports (reported via The Mail), spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo's second stint at the club (August 2021 - December 2022):

"The second time round, he came in a lot older and a lot more opinionated, strong-willed," Phelan said.

"He still had massively high standards and was terrific to work with. But I'd probably say a tougher mindset. He had been at Man United. He had been Portugal's ever-present. He had been at Madrid."

He continued:

"I liked it because he didn't want his standards to drop. He wanted other people's standards to come up. And sometimes you lose a few people along the way when that happens. I remember certain times when he pushed and pushed hard, and he didn't get much reaction or much response, aand there was frustration."

Attempting to explain Ronaldo's mentality, Phelan said:

"When you deal with top, top people, it's about them and where they can finish and where they can get to. They want to look back and go 'wow, that was successful'.

"And he probably realised, and I don't know as I never had that conversation with him, that he couldn't do it at Manchester United. So his challenges were elsewhere."

Ronaldo scored 27 goals in 54 games in his second spell at Old Trafford (via The Mail).