Cristiano Ronaldo interview with Piers Morgan: Live updates, reaction and Manchester United fallout

“To be honest, when I signed for Manchester United, I thought everything was changed because it’s 13 years… I was in Real Madrid nine years and three in Juventus. And when I arrived, I thought everything will be different, you know, the technology, the infrastructures and everything. But I was surprised, in a bad way, let’s say in that way because I saw everything was the same.

“And Manchester it wasn’t, in that moment that as you mentioned that Ole was sacked, Michael Carrick he assumed the job for two games. Villareal, and Chelsea away. And everything was so fast, but surprised me a lot, (the) instability in the club.”

He went on: “No, they stopped on a clock, in my opinion, which is something that surprised me.”

The player continued: “I was surprised. I thought when I signed that they sign in that year Sancho, and Varane, plus me, that things will be in the way that Manchester should be. As you mentioned, well, Sir Alex Ferguson left a big gap in the club, not only Sir Alex Ferguson, one person that I thought made the difference; David Gill, the President, is a very, very good man. And the structure around Sir Alex Ferguson was very important too. So I knew that Manchester United wasn’t the same. But don’t see that it was so big a gap. So big things that go through by the last 10 years, and it was the thing that surprised me more, to be honest…

“At United, the progress was zero, in my opinion. To compare with Real Madrid and even Juventus, that they follow the rest of the world, so the technology, especially in terms of training, nutrition and conditions of, eat properly and to recover better than before – surprised me. Manchester right now to compare with that club, I think it’s behind in my opinion, which is something that surprised me. A club with this dimension should be the top of the tree in my opinion and they are not, unfortunately. They are not in that level. But I hope the next years they can reach to be in a top level.”

He concluded: “I don’t know what’s going on but since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero.”