Christian Eriksen believes Manchester United are already moving on from the “sad” departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo had his contract terminated during the 2022 World Cup after an explosive interview in which he criticised the club and said he had “no respect” for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s final game was a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa in early November. United have won their last four matches since then, including a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on their post-World Cup return this week.
Speaking after the win, Eriksen said Ronaldo will still have a “special legacy” at United, having scored 145 goals in 346 appearances across two spells.
“First of all we are sad that Ronaldo is not part of it, his legacy and his name at any club is special, for me to be fortunate to play with him in my career was very nice.
“The football goes on. You feel that the next game after, people will forget what it was like before and now our focus is really like he is not here.
“The atmosphere is good, we have a lot of people coming back from the World Cup, the last guys are coming back and everyone is coming together.
“The atmosphere is good. It helps winning games and also before we went away for the World Cup, we had a few good games and good wins and it makes it easier to come back and start like this.”
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were both on the scoresheet in United’s victory over Forest at Old Trafford.Eriksen praised the performance of Rashford, who also set up Martial’s goal and has looked rejuvenated under Ten Hag this season.
“He played very well, luckily I haven’t been on the pitch where he has played a bad game yet,” said Eriksen.“I let him continue that, he is looking sharp and confident and you can feel that when he is going forward.
“You feel that in the stadium and you feel that with him and it is a nice thing and I hope he keeps it going.
“You can see that he came back pretty confident. I didn’t see as much of his games of course, you guys will have seen more, but he came back in good shape and luckily he has taken that into United.”
Manchester United are now fifth in the Premier League, just one point behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand.They next travel to Wolves on New Year’s Day hoping to record a fifth-straight win in all competitions for the first time since April 2021.
Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia giants Al-Nassr looks to have taken a step closer with the club reportedly having booked a medical for the 37-year-old.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr joins new club after quitting Man Utd alongside his dad
Cristiano Ronaldo’s son has also opted to leave Manchester United.
Manchester United have seen Cristiano Ronaldo’s son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, leave the club following his dad’s departure last month. Ronaldo Sr had his contract terminated before the World Cup following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan where he criticised the club, his boss Erik ten Hag and the Glazers family.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is still searching for his next club after disappointment at the World Cup with Portugal, but having also left with his father, Ronaldo Jr has managed to find a new team before him.
La Razon has reported that the 12-year-old has left United’s academy and re-joined Real Madrid, having followed his father and played in the academy of whichever club he was currently representing.
The youngster played in Los Blancos’ youth setup during his dad’s time at the club, but then left for Juventus and then United with Ronaldo Sr. The 37-year-old has been training in the Spanish capital and been using his former club’s facilities to maintain his fitness levels, having been without a club since United terminated his contract on November 22.
There is no suggestion that Carlo Ancelotti’s side wishes to offer him a deal to join the club for a second spell, however, and he is more likely to join Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr after being unable to find a Champions League side willing to take the striker on amid his large wage demands. The Middle East club reportedly have scheduled a medical for Ronaldo as he is set to be offered a three-year deal worth £173million.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr has joined a new club after leaving Manchester United with his dad. (Image: Getty / Instagram @georginagio)
Whether his son would then join the Saudi giant’s youth system remains to be seen, as he may want to remain in Spain where he previously enjoyed success, having scored more than 50 goals in 20 games during his first spell at Real Madrid.
Not only repeated his father’s feat of scoring goals for the side, but has also been spotted copying his iconic celebration. He was caught on camera after scoring against EF Girones Sabat during a youth tournament in Spain for United, where he channelled his father by performing his ‘Siu’ celebration.
Cristiano Ronaldo Sr with Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. (Image: Getty)
Ronaldo earlier this year admitted that his son told him to avoid retiring for a few more years as he wants the pair to play together one day.
However, the ex-United man has claimed he is not putting pressure on his son to play football professionally. “Only time will tell [if Ronaldo Jr becomes a professional player],” his father said.
“I will never pressure him. He will do what he wants. Also what I want the most for Cristianito and everyone else is that they’re happy and that they choose what they want. I will support in any way.”
Source: eurosport.co.uk; express.co.uk
