"I've got nothing to say" - Mother of the 14-year-old assaulted by Cristiano Ronaldo after Everton loss, claims she is refusing to meet the Manchester United star

Sarah Kelly, the mother of 14-year-old Everton fan Jake Harding, has asserted that she does not want to meet with Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Manchester United no. 7, “assaulted” the specially-abled Evertonian in the aftermath of his team’s loss to the Toffees on Saturday. As per videos circulating on social media, he slapped Harding’s phone off his hand, leaving his hand red and bruised. Ronaldo has since posted an apology on social media, offering Harding a chance to watch a match at Old Trafford.

Harding’s mother, Kelly, has revealed that a representative from the Portugal skipper’s camp did reach out. However, Kelly has no intention of traveling to Manchester United, claiming she has “nothing to say” to the 37-year-old. Speaking to Sky News, she said:

“I've got nothing to say to [him]. Why should I travel to Old Trafford? Why would 'a Blue' want to go to [visit] 'a Red'?”

She added that her autistic son was still shocked at what transpired at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Kelly continued:

“He can't digest things the same way a person with no disability would be able to digest things.”

Finally, Kelly shared her thoughts on the Portuguese’s social media post, where he invited Harding to Old Trafford as a sign of “sportsmanship.”

The Merseysider added:

"If he [Ronaldo] was genuine, I think he should have turned around at the moment of the incident, picked Jake's phone up and been like, 'I'm sorry.' That was the biggest laugh for me: 'sportsmanship'. When you can do that to a 14-year-old boy. That's not sportsmanship at all."

Police are currently investigating Ronaldo’s assault on Harding and should share their findings with the family sooner rather than later.

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Things go from bad to worse for Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United

Neither the Red Devils nor their superstar is having a particularly fruitful campaign. Following Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Everton, Manchester United have dropped down to seventh place and now sit six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. With only seven games left to play this season, their chances of clinching a top-four spot look slim.

Needless to say, Ronaldo is also struggling to produce his best football at his old club. He has scored 18 goals across all competitions but the return is hardly impressive for a player of his caliber.

The player, who will go trophyless for the first time in over a decade, now also has a police investigation to deal with. Depending on what the authorities find, he could find himself in the middle of grave off-field turmoil in the coming weeks.