Rio Ferdinand - "Cristiano Ronaldo is finished at Manchester United... the love affair is over"

Rio Ferdinand believes there is "no way back" for Cristiano Ronaldo after the Manchester United forward delivered a damning condemnation of the club and its manager Erik ten Hag in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

In an astonishing inteview for TalkTV, Ronaldo told Morgan he feels "betrayed" by Manchester United.

The 37-year-old unsuccessfully tried to leave the Red Devils over the summer after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Ronaldo has not played since he captained United in their 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa.

He was dropped for the Premier League game at Chelsea last month by Ten Hag after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham three days earlier.

On Ten Hag, Ronaldo said: "I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me.

"If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you."

Ferdinand was understood to be instrumental in orchestrating Ronaldo's fairytale return to Old Trafford in August last year. 

But the BT Sport pundit admits Ronaldo's position at Man Utd is untenable in light of his latest comments.

"The love affair between Cristiano Ronaldo and the club is over. It's finished," said Ferdnand on his Vibe with Five podcast.

"He has snookered the club and put them into a situation where there is no way back.

"Whether or not anyone at the club still wanted to keep Cristiano, they can't now because of what he has said. 

"He said 'I don't respect the manager'. Now, regardless of anything else that was said, that will be the reason why he goes."

Ronaldo also said he had seen "no evolution" at the club since former manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

"Nothing [has] changed [since my first spell at the club]. Not the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym," he said.

"I thought I would see different things, different technology, infrastructure, but unfortunately, we see many things that I’m used to seeing when I was 20, 21. [It] surprised me a lot.

"I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United."

Ferdinand was one of the few pundits to defend Ronaldo after the Portuguese forward refused to come on as a late substitute, but the former Man Utd captain admits there is no way of salvaging the fractured relationship between club and player. 

He said: "I played with players like [Ruud] Van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane, David Beckham... players that were booted out of the football club because they thought they were bigger than the club."

Ronaldo missed Sunday's victory over Fulham through illness and could face a hefty club fine for his comments.

A Manchester United statemet on Sunday evening read: "The club will consider its response after the full facts have been established.

"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."