Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Manchester United with immediate effect

Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will leave the club by mutual agreement with immediate effect. This comes after days of speculation following Ronaldo's explosive interview with British journalist Piers Morgan. 
  
The club thanked the legend for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wished him and his family well for the future.

"Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch," the club said.

Ronaldo’s future with the club was headed towards an end following a public outburst against the side and manager Erik Ten Hag. During his interview, Ronaldo accused the club of 'betraying' him and said manager Erik Ten Hag showed him a 'lack of respect' by dropping him to the bench.

Following this, Manchester United on Friday said it had initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo's recent media interview. "We will not be making further comment until this process reaches its conclusion," it had said.

The development comes two days ahead of Portugal’s FIFA World Cup opening game against Ghana in Qatar.