Manchester United has entered the chat amid claims from soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.
On Nov. 13, a clip from the 37-year-old athlete's upcoming interview with Piers Morgan was released on social media, during which Ronaldo alleged that he's being forced out of the team.
As the teaser continues to make headlines, Manchester United released a statement on Nov. 14. "The club will consider its response after the full facts have been established," the team's message, posted on their website, began. "Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, belief and togetherness being built among the players, manager, staff, and fans."
In the teaser for the TalkTV tell-all, set to air over Nov. 16 and Nov. 17, Morgan asked Ronaldo—who returned to Manchester in 2021 for a two-year deal—if the team is "trying to force" him out, to which Ronaldo replied, "Yes. Not only the coach (Erik ten Hag) but the other two or three guys there around the club...I felt betrayed."
While Ronaldo—who still has months left on his contract with the Premier League club—noted he "shouldn't say" that executives are trying to "get rid" of him, he felt as though people don't want him there. "Not only this year," he told Morgan, "but last year too."
Ronaldo's growing tension with United comes on the heels of the team's Nov. 13 victory against Fulham, their final match before the league takes a six-week break for the World Cup. In recent days, Ronaldo has been absent from the team's roster, with coach ten Hag telling reporters he was battling an illness.
The World Cup kicks off Nov. 20 in Qatar.