Manchester United has moved on from football star Cristiano Ronaldo’s messy departure from the club last month, said boss Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman was not willing to discuss the drama in depth when he was asked by the club’s in-house TV channel, MUTV, in an interview that was aired on Wednesday, reported The Guardian. The club's manager shared that his focus was on the future as he looks to continue the rebuilding job at Manchester United that he started when he arrived in the summer.
When asked how he had managed the situation involving Ronaldo, ten Hag told MUTV that the player is gone and "it’s the past. We are now looking forward and we’re looking to the future.”
On Dec. 21, Manchester United will face Burnley in a Carabao Cup last-16 tie before hosting Nottingham Forest in the Premier League in the end of the month.
According to Sky Sports, ten Hag also spoke about how the club is dealing with a mid-season break due to the World Cup. He is confident that his team will hit the ground running after breaking for the tournament. He said that they had a plan, they have "prepared the players with what the plan is, so there can’t be any confusion about what the program is." He shared that they make the players aware of the fact that, after they are out of the World Cup, they have to return to Manchester United and the "league immediately goes on. You have to be ready for that, but I think our players are used to it.”
Last month, the club terminated Ronaldo's contract by mutual consent after the 37-year-old gave an unauthorized interview to TV personality Piers Morgan, reported Mirror. During the interview he had said that he felt "betrayed" by the club.
As for Ronaldo, he is currently away at the World Cup with Portugal, who reached the quarter-finals on Tuesday night after defeating Switzerland.
The star is a free agent at the moment and painted his exit from Manchester United as an opportunity to find a new challenge. He had said in a statement that after conversations with Manchester United, they had "mutually agreed to end our contract early." He added that he loved Manchester United and the fans, and that "will never ever change." But it felt like the right time for him to "seek a new challenge." He wished the squad success for the "remainder of the season and for the future."
The statement had a very different tone as compared to the comments that he made to Morgan about ten Hag. He had said that he didn't have "respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me."
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