"Rest of the squad aren't fit to lace his boots" - Piers Morgan says Cristiano Ronaldo can't be blamed for wanting Manchester United exit

English TV presenter Piers Morgan has said that Cristiano Ronaldo is not wrong in seeking an exit from Manchester United as the rest of the squad is not up to his level.

Morgan added that the Portugal international is not the 'problem' at the club. The Red Devils went down 2-1 in their season opener match against Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford on August 7.

Manchester United's new full-time manager Erik ten Hag decided against giving Cristiano Ronaldo a start in the season's first game. However, after finding his team trailing by two goals, the Dutch manager brought in the club's highest scorer from last season in the second half of the game.

Expressing his thoughts after the first half of the game, Piers Morgan tweeted that no one can blame Cristiano Ronaldo for being desperate to leave because the rest of the squad 'aren't fit to lace his boots.' Morgan said:

''Cristiano Ronaldo is not the ‘problem’ at Manchester United. The problem is the rest of the squad aren’t fit to lace his boots in terms of quality, work ethic, commitment & will to win. That’s why he wants out, and who can blame him?''

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been pushing the Manchester United board to let him go this summer after the club's disastrous run of form last season. The club finished sixth despite him scoring 24 goals across different competitions. However, the board has denied him any chance to leave and asked him to stay put for the second year of his contract with the club.

After a horrendous end to last season, the board assured that things will change for good in the new season with a new manager coming in. However, the loss against Brighton confirms that the issues at Old Trafford remain the same, contrary to what was being promised under the 'new era' of Erik ten Hag.

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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag insists Cristiano Ronaldo is not ready to play for 90 minutes

After losing 2-1 to Brighton at Old Trafford and being criticized for not starting with Cristiano Ronaldo, Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag has reiterated that the Portuguese international is not fully fit.

The Dutch manager said that Ronaldo has only been training at Carrington for the last 10 days as he missed the entire pre-season tour and is not yet fit for a full 90-minute match. He said via UtdDistrict:

“Ronaldo has been team training for 10 days. It is too short for 90 minutes.”

The Red Devils play Brentford next on August 13.