Gary Neville slams 'petulant' Cristiano Ronaldo; ex-Man Utd star must 'shut down' to avoid 'scruffy end'

Gary Neville hit out at Cristiano Ronaldo after the former Manchester United striker was dropped by Fernando Santos for Portugal's game on Tuesday.

Ronaldo is now a free agent after his Man Utd contract was terminated a few months before it expired this summer.

His last few months at United were a shit show as he didn't appreciate being dropped from the squad by Erik ten Hag.

He was unhappy in the first place as he wanted to leave the club this summer after failing to qualify for the Champions League.

Man Utd were unwilling to let him go this summer but they had no choice but to give him what he wanted after his controversial interview with Piers Morgan aired.

Ronaldo is now heavily linked with a move to Saudi club Al-Nassr, who are ready to offer him around £173million a year.

In the meantime, Ronaldo is playing for Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar. They had already qualified for the round of 16 of the competition after two group matches.

Ronaldo then started their group final by being beaten 2-1 by South Korea. He was replaced before the end and he expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision.

Portuguese coach Santos later admitted that he 'didn't like' Ronaldo's reaction to his withdrawal.

"If I see the pictures, I didn't like it, not at all. I really didn't like it.

"But from this point on, it's all over - period on this issue. Now we have to think about tomorrow's game, and everyone is focused on tomorrow's game."

When asked if he could still trust Ronaldo, he added: "I don't decide who will be the captain until I reach the stadium, so I don't know. I don't know what will be the composition.

"It's what I've always done and it's what I always will.

"But the other issue is resolved. We've fixed it internally and that's it."

Ronaldo paid the price for his actions when he was dropped on the bench for Portugal's quarter-final against Switzerland.

Speaking ahead of the match, Neville claimed the end of Ronaldo's career was "getting a little neglected".

"Well what happened at United, the suggestion was that it was because [Erik] Ten Hag was trying to make a move against him, he's trying to establish his authority," Neville said at ITV.

"He's a manager [Santos] who has had an incredible relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo for eight years.

"And there are a lot of Cristiano Ronaldo fans who don't want to tell him the truth. I think he needs to listen to the truth, that it's getting a bit run down.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he came tonight and scored the winner, but the petulance, the stomping, the sulking has to stop because it doesn't make him look good at all.

"His long-term legacy is set, he's protected. He's one of the best players of all time, but in the short term he needs to do much better.

"Is the Juventus manager wrong? The Manchester United manager is wrong? And now, is the Portugal manager wrong? There are three who have now done the same thing with him."

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