Gary Neville has called on his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo to "stand up now and speak" as speculation continues over his Old Trafford future.
Earlier in the summer, Ronaldo informed the club that he wanted to leave, but he has not explained his position to supporters in the weeks that have followed.
After United's humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford on Saturday, the legendary forward appeared to further jeopardise his relationship with the United faithful, refusing to applaud the travelling fans at full time.
Despite his apparent desire to leave, Ronaldo has blasted the media for "telling lies" about him this summer and vowed to set the record straight "in a couple of weeks."
MORE: Man United transfer rumors for 2022 summer window
What has Neville said about Ronaldo's desire to leave?
Neville sees no reason for Ronaldo to wait that long to set the record straight and has urged the 37-year-old to show some leadership in a message to his followers on social media.
"Why does the greatest player of all time (in my opinion) have to wait two weeks to tell Manchester United fans the truth? Stand up now and speak," he wrote on Twitter.
"The club is in crisis and it needs leaders to lead. He’s the only one who can grab this situation by the scruff of the neck!"
Why does the greatest player of all time (in my opinion) have to wait two weeks to tell Manchester United fans the truth? Stand up now and speak. The club is in crisis and it needs leaders to lead. He’s the only one who can grab this situation by the scruff of the neck!
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) August 17, 2022
What were Ronaldo's comments over "lies" in media?
Ronaldo's initial comments were directed at unnamed "lies" in the media, which he claims he has kept track of.
"They know the truth when they interview in couple of weeks," Ronaldo said via an Instagram comment on someone else's post. "The media is telling lies. I have a notebook and in the last few months of the 100 news I made, only 5 of them were right.
"Imagine how it is. Stick with that tip."
The comment has since been deleted, but many outlets shared the wording before it was removed.
"The media is telling lies." - Cristiano Ronaldo on Instagram 😮
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 16, 2022
(via cr7.o_lendario/IG) pic.twitter.com/cDVFx3zg0G
Could Ronaldo still leave United this summer?
Initially, United had been insistent on Ronaldo seeing out the remainder of his current deal, which expires at the end of the season.
However, Goal.com reports that Erik ten Hag has been so alarmed by the club's terrible start to the campaign, he is willing to sanction the Portugal international's departure. United have been considering a number of replacements for Ronaldo, including Cody Gakpo, Matheus Cunha and Hakim Ziyech, as well as long-term target Antony.
It could be difficult to find the £500,000-per-week man a new club, though. Chelsea have already turned down the chance to sign Ronaldo, while Atletico Madrid fans have passionately protested against the prospective signing of the former Real Madrid favourite.
MORE: Would Ronaldo be a good fit at Atletico Madrid?
Premier League 2022/23 TV channels, live streams
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Sky Sports, BT Sport | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | — | — |
| Streaming | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime | fuboTV, Peacock | fuboTV Canada | Optus Sport |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.
