A Man Utd legend might've cracked Cristiano Ronaldo's ugly exit with new theory

A Manchester United legend believes Cristiano Ronaldo left the club as he felt he wasn't trusted to be a leader.

The 37-year-old had his contract terminated via mutual consent in November following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV.

Ronaldo slammed manager Erik ten Hag plus the United hierarchy for treating him with what the five-time Ballon d'Or winner perceived as a lack of respect.

United were left with no choice but to part way with the forward, who has since penned a mega-money deal with Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr.

Ten Hag didn't fully believe Ronaldo could play his style of football, which is why Anthony Martial started ahead of him when fit.

Ronaldo scored three goals for United this season, with two of those coming in the Europa League. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that his extraordinary power in front of goal is starting to fade.

Dwight Yorke thinks despite Ronaldo's ugly exit, he did have a passion for United and wanted to take them back to the top. The only way it'd work is if he received more power. That's something Ten Hag was never going to do.

He told The National: "I know that there was someone who is really passionate and really loves Manchester United and wanted to take Manchester United back to the top.

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"But he clearly felt that the only way he could help the club get anywhere near that, I think he needed to be the leader."

United have gone about amending their wage structure since Ronaldo's departure. In recent years, the Red Devils have lured 'big brand' players to Old Trafford with lucrative sums of cash.

Angel Di Maria and Alexis Sanchez immediately spring to mind, while Ronaldo himself was on a whopping £515,000-a-week after returning to the club in 2021. All that looks to be coming to an end.

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Chief executive Richard Arnold, along with director of football John Murtough and ten Hag, have capped basic salaries at £200,000-a-week going forward according to the Daily Mail.

David de Gea will be the first player impacted by this. The goalkeeper's contract is up in the summer and currently earns around £375,000-a-week.

It's believed he'll take the dramatic salary cut as he wants to stay at the club he joined from Atletico Madrid in 2011.

United are currently fourth in the Premier League table. They return to action on Tuesday evening against League One outfit Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup.