MX23RW : Thursday, January 30 03:07:34| >> :120:9565:9565:

Christian Eriksen: 'Manchester United players sad Cristiano Ronaldo has left'

Eriksen: 'Man United players sad Ronaldo has left'
© Reuters
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo's recent departure from the club.

Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen has said that the club's players "are sad" that Cristiano Ronaldo has left the club.

Ronaldo's contract was terminated at the end of November following the explosive interview that he gave to Piers Morgan on TalkTV.

The 37-year-old only managed three goals for the Red Devils in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign, but his departure has left the team short of options at centre-forward.

Man United have impressed in their two competitive matches since Ronaldo's exit, beating Championship leaders Burnley 2-0 in the EFL Cup last week before recording a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

Eriksen has said that the players were "sad" to learn of Ronaldo's exit, but the Denmark international has insisted that the club are already moving on from his departure.

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo in action against Ghana at the World Cup on November 24, 2022© Reuters

"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," Eriksen told reporters.

"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."

Marcus Rashford has scored against both Burnley and Forest since returning from the World Cup, and Eriksen has lavished praise on the attacker for his display against the latter.

The England international made the breakthrough in the 19th minute of the match from an Eriksen assist before turning provider for Anthony Martial, who doubled the home side's advantage in the 23rd minute.

"He played very well, and luckily I haven't been on the pitch where he has played a bad game yet. I let him continue that, he is looking sharp and confident, and you can feel that when he is going forward," said Eriksen.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring against Nottingham Forest on December 27, 2022© Reuters

"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 (England) games, of course, you guys will have seen more, but he came back in good shape, and luckily he has taken that into United."

Man United are working to bring a new striker to the club this month, with head coach Erik ten Hag looking for another player to battle Rashford and Martial for the centre-forward spot.

However, a recent report claimed that the club are only looking at the loan market.

The 20-time English champions will be looking to further boost their top-four challenge in the Premier League when they head to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

ID:502929:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4828:
Written by
Matt Law

Cristiano Ronaldo future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Cristiano Ronaldo

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo pictured during training on October 26, 2022
Read Next:
Ten Hag: 'Ronaldo instigated Manchester United exit'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!