In the aftermath of Manchester United's thrilling 2-1 injury-time victory at Cottagers on Sunday, manager Erik ten Hag allowed himself to reflect on the changes that have taken place.
He said that they are now unified. The staff, the directors, the whole club, and the fans are all in the dressing room together.
We have a base. We are going in the correct direction. The culture has changed and that is good. The symbol of it is when you win in the last seconds of the game.
United's staff were told that togetherness did not include everyone.
They didn't know the full extent of the attack being unleashed on them by the Portuguese player. They will have to wait with everyone else to watch Piers Morgan's interview with the player they pay half a million dollars a week to.
According to excerpts of the interview released on Sunday,Ronaldo said that he feels betrayed by the club, that he doesn't respect manager Ten Hag, and that he is being forced out. On Wednesday and Thursday, the interview will be aired on Talk TV.
There is no decision to be made for Manchester United.
Behind the scenes, United made it clear that they supported Ten Hag to deal with the situation after the victory over Spurs. He stood the 37 year old down for the next game.
Now that it's known, it's known that the night was wrong. He insists Ten Hag's decision was a show of disrespect.
In a radio interview with Talksport on Monday, Morgan said the move contradicted Ten Hag's explanation for his failure to bringRonaldo on during the 6-3 Manchester derby defeat at the hands of Manchester City two-and-a-half weeks earlier.
The two games were very different. United were down at the half by a large margin. The score was 7-1 after 80 minutes. The only thing that mattered was limiting the size of the defeat. They went into the final 10 minutes of the game against Spurs with a two-goal lead and had picked up four points from three games. Two people were introduced with three minutes to go.
It would be better for everyone if the former team-mate of Gary's was released immediately because he had crossed a line.
A different view was taken by ten Hag.
He explained his position in a press conference two days after the Spurs game.
He said that he has to make decisions in the interests of the club and the team. It doesn't matter who it is.
It doesn't matter thatRonaldo has won every honour in the game multiple times, has been crowned Ballon D'Or winner on five occasions and is widely acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. Ten Hag doesn't think he is a player. He has not delivered in terms of goals scored or overall contributions this season.
United are keeping their powder dry, even though they need to establish the full facts behind the interview, which they apparently didn't have permission for.
Even though he was granted compassionate leave and allowed to miss the summer tour of Thailand and Australia by senior figures at the club, there is still unhappiness that he is being forced out.
The rumour has been going around for a while now thatRonaldo has not been the leader of the younger players.
It's pretty much certain that he wanted to leave in the summer. According to United sources, no deal was put forward that didn't involve them paying a significant portion of his salary.
United must make a decision against this backdrop.
It is unthinkable that United's hierarchy can undermine their manager by supporting a player.
Before the chief executive and co-chairman can get involved, they need to speak with John Murtough.
If precedent is any guide, patience will be required.
Seventeen years ago, that was how it was. In October 2005, United were thrashed by a score of 4-1. Roy Keane gave an interview that was so damning of his team-mates that it wasn't aired. After giving that interview, he left United.
18 days is a long time in the social media age.
Even if it takes a long time, it seems certain thatRonaldo will be allowed to leave. The only thing left to be decided is how.
Ferdinand said he couldn't defend the player.
"This has all been manufactured for one thing - and that's for him to leave the club," he said on his Vibe with Five podcast.
I would defend him but I think the love affair with Manchester United that he has had is over.
There's no way back for me. I don't think the club will bring him back, and I don't think he wants to come back. It's all manufactured for that reason.
Chris Sutton said on the Monday Night Club that he believed thatRonaldo was on the decline and that he had thrown his toys out of the pram.
Ronaldo cannot play for Ten Hag again. He can't play for the club again. It might work out well for Ten Hag. His legacy has been damaged by this entire interview.
His advisers were aware that the interview would have an impact.
Glenn Murray said that Manchester United knew he had a big ego when they brought him in. The thing was going to happen. He was never going to have a good reaction to his death.
Everyone wants him out of the club He wanted the interview to be about that. It was self-centered. It's not possible for him to return now.
The editor of United We Stand magazine said that he wasn't forced out. He wanted to leave in the summer but there wasn't a lot of people interested in him.
There is more than one version of the truth in life, and he has done an interview that is his version of the truth.
If he didn't play for the club again, United fans wouldn't be very worried.
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