Manchester United star gives his honest opinion about Cristiano Ronaldo’s Old Trafford exit

Christian Eriksen “sad” about untimely exit of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United

Manchester United star Christian Eriksen has stated that the untimely exit of Cristiano Ronaldo from the Red Devils was “sad”. The Denmark international is glad to have shared a pitch with the 37-year-old.

The Old Trafford side terminated the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s contract just before the start of the 2022 World Cup. In his controversial interview with Piers Morgan, the Portugal international criticised the club and Erik ten Hag.

Speaking to the media via Manchester Evening News, Eriksen expressed disappointment at Ronaldo’s departure. However, the 30-year-old is looking forward to the rest of the season.

“First of all, we are sad that Ronaldo is not part of it. His legacy and his name at any club is special. For me to be fortunate to play with him in my career was very nice.

“The football goes on. You feel that the next game after, people will forget what it was like before, and now our focus is really like he is not here.”

The 37-year-old came back to the Manchester-based club in the summer of 2021 after having left in 2009 for Real Madrid. After several successful campaigns elsewhere, the Portuguese icon became a United player again.

While on an individual level, the 2021/22 season was good for Ronaldo, the Red Devils struggled. He was our top goalscorer in all competitions, but we failed to compete for titles and could not make it into the top four in the Premier League.

As a result, Ten Hag was given the reins at the Old Trafford side at the end of the previous campaign. However, the Dutch manager’s arrival saw Ronaldo’s influence in the team swindle.

The Portuguese icon spent most of his time on the bench this season. When the 37-year-old was given opportunities in the team, he failed to make the most of them.

Fortunately, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have stepped up to the plate in the current campaign. The France and England internationals have been pivotal for Ten Hag.

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Eriksen has also enjoyed a brilliant debut season in Manchester. Hopefully, we can move on from the Ronaldo saga and take strides towards silverware under the Dutch manager.