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In his second spell with Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo's legacy with the club hangs in the balance. Less than a year and a half into what was supposed to be a heroic return to Old Trafford, it seems like there may not be a way back for Ronaldo after part one of his interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV. There were snippets of the interview released on Sunday where Ronaldo stated that he doesn't respect Erik ten Hag, already causing Manchester United to release a statement before the interview aired.

The statement was terse, "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."

After hearing the interview, the team has released another statement "Manchester United has this morning 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."

CBS Sports understands that Manchester United are exploring options for terminating his contract and are talking with lawyers over legal action following the interview fallout.

Ronaldo touched on quite a few topics with Morgan, and while some of his criticism of the team might be accurate, given the venue and the timing it's hard to credit Ronaldo with doing anything other than trying to force his way out of the club. Despite his loyalty to Alex Ferguson that drew him back to Manchester United, Ronaldo's exit from the Red Devils is set to be as ugly as it gets. 

The Portuguese forward actually said he close to joining Manchester City. "I don't regret the decision I made. Sir Alex Ferguson was the key. I spoke with him. He said to me that it's impossible for you to go to Man City." Ronaldo said about why he didn't go to Manchester City. He continued talking about Fergeuon's knowledge that the club isn't on the right path. "Ferguson knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be. He knows. Everyone knows."

Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford

While statistically, Ronaldo had a good return to Manchester United in 2021 scoring 24 goals and assisting three more, the team didn't do well, missing out on the Champions League and seeing Ronaldo push for an exit over the summer that didn't come to fruition. When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked and replaced by Ralf Rangnick, Ronaldo wasn't happy.

"He is not even a coach. This surprised not only me but the whole world. It was a ridiculous decision. Manchester United are a step behind Man City and Liverpool because of decisions like this," Ronaldo said of Rangnick's hiring. "I had never heard of Rangnick. And people who I spoke to hadn't heard of him either. I called him boss but deep inside me I didn't see him as a boss."

For a player who wants others to look up to him and also looks to lead by example, not respecting his manager just because of their background isn't an example that should be set. There's no question that Ronaldo has achieved almost everything possible during his career and that he has played for plenty of world class managers as well. Heck, there is a grain of truth even behind not supporting Rangnick as it was a headscratcher of a decision by United, but it's a case where Ronaldo said the quiet part out loud adding to the tarnish on his United legacy. 

"Rangnick didn't know what he was doing. The dimension of the club and the history of the club" Ronaldo continued on Rangnick's time at the club. "If you sack Solskjaer, you have to bring a top coach and not a sporting director."

Ronaldo did have off the pitch things to deal with under Rangnick as he and Georgina Rodriguez lost a son when they were expecting twins in October of 2021 which he described as, "the worst moment in my life since my father died. When you have a kid you expect everything to be normal," in the interview with Morgan. There was support for him from rival fans and even the queen while going through this loss is an unimaginable strain while also dealing with issues around the club.

Leadership at United

While Ronaldo wants to lead by example, he isn't followed as much as he'd expect "The youngsters today don't have the hunger like us in the past. The young generation have things too easy," Ronaldo said. "This new generation won't have long careers with this attitude."

Morgan asked Ronaldo what players at United's work rate he expected and he only named Casemiro, Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez. Maybe it's fair to not read too much into that as he might not have meant to be offering an exhaustive list, but young players have played a major part in United's success under Erik ten Hag this season. 

Not only have Dalot and Martinez been critical to the team's defensive success but 18 year old Alejandro Garnacho is growing before our eyes. Anthony Elanga has scored big goals and, ahead of representing Brazil at the World Cup, Antony's story of growing up in Sao Paulo also came out.

It's true that most of these players won't have careers as long as Ronaldo, he's a generational talent after all, but the next generation of soccer stars is already ready to take the mantle. Ronaldo is no longer at the top of the mountain and looking across the game in its entirety, players like France and PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland at Manchester City are ready to take the stage as the best players in the world for years to come. It feels like Ronaldo is trying to hold onto the legacy of his younger self while struggling to accept being a bench player at United to players who are less accomplished than him but more willing to buy into ten Hag's system.

Ten Hag and how to move forward

Ronaldo had a little more to say about ten Hag than Rangnick saying, "I knew a little bit about him from his job at Ajax." but it's not a glowing review despite United's marked improvement this season. With the World Cup break here, the Red Devils are three points behind Tottenham in fourth with a game in hand so securing Champions League soccer is in their hands. They're also in the knockout phase of Europa League but face a tough test against Barcelona. 

United may not have the pull that they used to have, which Ronaldo has noticed, but they're working to get back to their luster.

"I was surprised. Ferguson left a big gap, and also losing David Gill, a very good man," Ronaldo said on the lack of progress at the club. "I knew United wouldn't be the same but I didn't think it would be this bad."

Even using the term bad when the team is in the driver's seat for the top for and in the running for a trophy shows how much Ronaldo's accomplishments revolve around his own play. It makes it tough to see a way back into the lineup for him even if he does apologize for the interview. Some things can't be unsaid and it has left a dark cloud around the club. Doors have closed for potential moves for him as his salary is too high for a Sporting CP homecoming -- and after this, they may not want him to come home either.

Other top clubs don't need the distraction leaving Chelsea, Saudi Arabia, and Major League Soccer as destinations. Todd Boehly has already explored Ronaldo but Thomas Tuchel didn't want him at the club. With the team hitting a slight skid under Potter, Boehly could take a look again despite already having added Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Chelsea certainly doesn't need another distraction but Boehly likes shiny new toys and Christopher Nkunku's injury that has seen him ruled out of the World Cup and possibly the next eight weeks could be enough to see him finish the season with RB Leipzig instead of possibly moving to Chelsea.

If United end up terminating Ronaldo's contract, it could be easier for him to find a new club but he will still need to likely shift his salary demands.

A final payday could await in America or Saudi Arabia but it would need Ronaldo to accept that his European career is over. With this interview, his time at United is already hanging in the balance as each day that he remains in the club will only lead to more questions about his future. That could carry over to Portugal at the World Cup where he'll be with his United teammates Bruno Fernandes and Dalot creating another unneeded distraction. What's done from here will define what's left of his United legacy.