“It was already a ticking time bomb” – Manchester United legend reveals he spoke with ‘unhappy’ Cristiano Ronaldo before Old Trafford fallout

Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke revealed that he knew Cristiano Ronaldo's situation at Manchester United was vulnerable after having spoken to him before his exit.

The former Trinidad and Tobago international revealed to The National that during his visit, the Portuguese forward shared his frustrations with him.

“I don’t comment often on Manchester United because I’m still a global ambassador and have a fantastic relationship with the club. But what Cristiano has done, to me, is not a surprise," Yorke said.

"I had a one-to-one conversation with him before I came to Australia, when I went on a 10-day observation at Manchester United and had access behind the scenes," he added.

Yorke said he was lucky that Ronaldo gave him 30 minutes to have a chat, saying:

"I was lucky that Ronaldo gave me 30 minutes of his time and we talked in depth. I knew that there was an individual there that wasn’t happy with whatever was going on at the club. He expressed that in a very open and honest way to me. He was clearly unhappy."

Yorke claimed that as per the legendary forward, Manchester United weren't progressing the way he wanted them to. He said:

"He felt that the club wasn’t progressing the way he wanted it to and he demanded certain things from the incoming manager. I felt that if that wasn’t to happen, then there was going to be something that we eventually saw happen. So when all of that came out, I knew it was already a ticking time bomb just ready to explode."

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Dwight Yorke though feels Cristiano Ronaldo's actions should not be mistaken for someone who does not care

Yorke claimed that the former Real Madrid man not being the club captain over Harry Maguire could have played a part in his dissatisfaction.

"I know that there was someone who is really passionate and really loves Manchester United, and wanted to take Manchester United back to the top," Yorke said. "But he clearly felt that the only way he could help the club get anywhere near that, I think he needed to be the leader."

He added:

"And I think, with Harry Maguire not being fully in the fold, I felt that Ronaldo didn’t think that was the right call; that he felt he should have led. Being the top scorer, he felt he didn’t get enough respect, because without him last year, United would have been nowhere near."

Yorke also felt the five-time Ballon d'Or winner may have felt that he did not get enough credit for the work he did at United.

"I think he feels he doesn’t get enough credit, that there’s a lot of criticism coming his way; the way he went about things with the Piers Morgan interview and speaking openly about it. But I think he got to the point where he had enough. He saw that the club was not heading in the direction he wanted it to. He wanted to lead and wasn’t given that opportunity, so it just boiled over."

Ronaldo had his Manchester United contract mutually terminated last November after an explosive television interview with Piers Morgan. He criticized the club's owners, coach Erik ten Hag, and even some former players.