Cristiano Ronaldo cut ties with the rest of the Manchester United players after criticizing the club and manager Erik ten Hag in an explosive interview.

The feeling within the squad is that it would be best if United found a way to offload Ronaldo while he is at the World Cup and the 37-year-old Portuguese star did not return to Old Trafford.

Mood will not improve after the first episode of Ronaldo’s meeting with Piers Morgan aired on Wednesday night in which he criticized the attitude of young United players and said that only his Portuguese team-mate Diogo Dalot is destined for a long career at the top.

Cristiano Ronaldo has cut ties with the Man United team after his explosive interview

Ronaldo claimed United’s current youngsters aren’t ‘hungry’ for his generation

‘Their hunger [is different]. I think they have it easier, everything is easy, they don’t suffer – and they don’t care,” Ronaldo said.

“If you tell me what I see at Manchester United, I can probably quote Diogo Dalot. He is young but he is very professional and I have no doubt that he will have longevity in football.

“We have a few more – probably (Lisandro) Martinez – but like Dalot, it’s hard to say.”

Ronaldo confirmed he was ‘close’ to joining Manchester City before United brought him back last year, questioned the club’s decision to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and was scathing about the Norwegian’s replacement ideas , interim coach Ralf Rangnick.

The Portuguese star also insisted he had ‘no respect’ for current United boss Erik ten Hag

Ronaldo’s teammates want him replaced before the end of the World Cup

“The new coaches coming in, they think they’ve found the last Coca Cola in the desert,” he added.

Ronaldo’s candid views on Ten Hag will air in part two of the interview on Thursday night, but his teammates believe he betrayed Ten Hag and the club, not the other way around as he claims.

Raphael Varane was the first United player to speak about Ronaldo on Wednesday, saying: “Obviously it affects us. We’re following what’s going on. We’re trying to calm things down in our own way and not get too involved.

“When it’s a star like Cristiano, even more we try to take it with distance, that is to say that we do not try to change the situation alone, we are part of a collective.

“What I want is the best for my team, so whatever decision the club makes, we will accept it.”

Ronaldo, who has missed United’s last two games through illness, was absent from Portugal’s training session in Lisbon on Wednesday with a stomach ache and is a doubt for the final Cup warm-up game Thursday’s World Cup against Nigeria.