Graeme Souness branded a 'hypocrite' for Cristiano Ronaldo comments after slating Romelu Lukaku

Graeme Souness has been accused of him being a "hypocrite" after his Cristiano Ronaldo comments contradict what he said about Romelu Lukaku.

Ronaldo has generated huge headlines after taking part in a lengthy interview with Piers Morgan, which will be aired on TalkTV later this week.

Already snippets of the bombshell interview have been doing the rounds, with Ronaldo claiming he has been "betrayed" by Manchester United.

He also said he does not "have respect" for Erik ten Hag amid their strained relationship and slammed the club's facilities, which he believes have not changed since his first spell.

Ronaldo has been widely criticised for the interview, which he asked for, and the timing of it.

But one man who has leapt to his defence is former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness, who feels he is "entitled to air his grievance."

Told by Jim White that he can no longer defend Ronaldo on talkSPORT, he said: “I certainly do, he’s never spoken and he feels it’s time for him to come out and tell his side of the story.

“This is a player who in many people’s eyes is the greatest player to ever kick a ball. I think with him, he has been told a story and the manager has not kept it.

"The manager doesn’t bring him on against City and says it is out of respect. A couple of weeks later he wants him to go on with two minutes to go against Tottenham, and then he makes him captain!

“Looking at it from both sides, I think the player has a grievance and he is entitled to air his grievance.”

However, Souness' view is a little different to the one he aired back in January in a similar situation involving Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgium striker upset Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea fans by giving a controversial interview to Sky Sport Italia, questioning the manager's tactics and speaking about his love for Inter Milan.

He was dropped and fined as a result and ended up issuing a full apology for his comments. But Souness launched a scathing attack on Lukaku, branding his statement "ridiculous", "totally disrespectful" and "damaging".

He went on to add that Lukaku had "more than crossed the line". It's likely that Ronaldo, like Lukaku, will be hit with a hefty fine for his conduct.

United were not initially aware of the interview but say that they will wait for "the full facts" to be established before commenting further.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Manchester United notes the media coverage regarding an interview by Cristiano Ronaldo.

"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."

Ronaldo, who refused to come on as a substitute against Spurs, has scored three times in 16 appearances in all competitions this term.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy, talkSPORT & Sky Sport Italia

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Romelu Lukaku, Graeme Souness

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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