Is Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Man Utd and will he be sacked following Piers Morgan interview?

Cristiano Ronaldo’s time as a Manchester United player could be drawing to a close after that explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

The Portugal forward made several provocative statements during the 90-minute chat on TalkTV, in which he took a swipe at United’s owners, manager, players and his former team-mates. Ronaldo also said during the interview that he was not sure if he would ever play for the Red Devils again.

Well, it seems like he has adorned a United jersey for the final time, with a plethora of reports claiming the club have begun the process of sacking the 37-year-old. In a statement on Friday, United said: “Manchester United has this morning initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent media interview. We will not be making further comment until this process reaches its conclusion.”

The Daily Mail have since claimed United have begun the legal process of effectively sacking Ronaldo, with the former Real Madrid and Juventus star not set to receive any form of compensation. They add there is ‘no way’ back for the striker and state the mood in the dressing room is ‘ambivalent’ towards Ronaldo.

Meanwhile, the Guardian have reported the club have appointed lawyers to sue Ronaldo for an ‘alleged breach of contract’. The outlet also say he will ‘almost certainly never play for United again’ and that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been told not to return to the club’s Carrington training ground after the World Cup.

The Mirror believe Ronaldo may take legal action to counter United’s move, which will see the Portuguese striker miss out on around £16m of wages. Ronaldo’s contract at the Red Devils expires in June with the club able to extend for a further year, an option they almost certainly won’t now employ.

This season, Ronaldo has played 16 times in all competitions and has managed just three goals, with only one of those coming in the Premier League. He is currently in Qatar with the rest of Portugal squad, who kick off their World Cup campaign with a clash against Ghana on Thursday.

ManchesterWorld approached Manchester United for comment on several occasions but are yet to receive a response regarding reports Ronaldo will be sacked.