Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview with Piers Morgan further claimed that United was a marketing club whose owners are only interested in the money and do not care about the sporting side of it. "Manchester are a marketing club - they get money from the marketing. It will be hard for Manchester to be top of the game in the next two or three years," he said. The Portugal forward, who has only scored one Premier League goal this season, said: "The owners of the club, the Glazers, they don't care about the club, professional sport." Ronaldo added that he has never met the Glazers, who took over the club in 2005. 

United have made only a short public response following the interview and have said that a more detailed response will be made ones the full facts have been established. "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," the club said in a statement. Manchester United have not won a trophy since claiming the Europa League title in 2017 and fans have staged a number of protests against the Glazers' running of the club. 

The Portugal captain in his interview touched on the growing unrest amongst the fans concerning the Glazer family's ownership of the club. "The fans are always right. They should know the truth. The players want the best for the club. I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United, this is why I love this club. You have some things inside the club which don't help Manchester reach the top level like City, Liverpool, and even now Arsenal. It's complicated. It's difficult. It's hard," Ronaldo said.