Cristiano Ronaldo must "stand up now and speak" and not wait to lift the lid on his situation at Manchester United, says Gary Neville.
The Red Devils' failure to secure a Champions League berth last season led to reports Ronaldo told the club he wanted to leave just under a year after returning to Old Trafford from Juventus.
A shambolic start to life under Erik ten Hag, which saw an opening home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion followed by a 4-0 drubbing at Brentford, has only exacerbated the situation.
However, despite being linked with a host of Europe's biggest clubs it appears there are a lack of viable options for Ronaldo with Chelsea and Bayern Munich said to have rejected the chance to sign him, while a potential switch to Atletico Madrid would be wildly unpopular with the club's fanbase due to his status as a Real Madrid legend.
It was even suggested after the humiliating loss to the Bees that United were considering terminating the Portugal great's contract if his attitude does not improve.
Ronaldo teased offering his side of the story in the coming weeks by writing on Instagram: "They know the truth when [sic] interview in a few weeks. Media only speaks lies. I have a notebook and in the last few months of the 100 news that made only five [accurate] hits, imagine how things are."
Ronaldo's former team-mate Neville has urged the 37-year-old not to wait to speak out, with the club in "crisis".
"Why does the greatest player of all time (in my opinion) have to wait two weeks to tell Manchester United fans the truth?" Neville wrote on Twitter.
"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!"
Earlier this week, Neville also expressed his fear letting Ronaldo go could see United slump to a bottom-half finish in the Premier League this season if they do not sign reinforcements.
"As I sit here today now, and I think there’s a massive decision to make on Cristiano Ronaldo, I think they’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t,” Neville said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.
"Before these two results, I said the best thing to do is facilitate a move for Cristiano and for the club, because he's obviously not happy and the club are not happy with him.
"The problem is now that if they lose him then there's nothing left in terms of goal scoring.
"I genuinely think that if they don't bring players in, in these next couple of weeks, or if they bring poor players in, and he leaves, I genuinely think they could finish in the bottom half of the table. I think it's a bottom half of the table team.
"That's a massive statement and could look stupid at the end of the season.
"They're absolutely demoralised and shot to pieces, I think it's really bad in there. Ten Hag in pre-season had got them to a really confident level, but basically they've gone back to default and the old things have come back."
United host fierce rivals Liverpool on Monday as they aim to quickly inject life into their season.
Ten Hag hopeful of Man Utd signings despite 'very good' basis to squad
Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United to "make new improvements" in the upcoming transfer window, though he believes the basis of the current squad is "very good".
Ten Hag's second season at Old Trafford has failed to live up to the standards set in his maiden campaign, which saw United end their trophy drought by winning the EFL Cup while finishing in the top four of the Premier League.
United head into their game away at Crystal Palace on Monday in eighth, 13 points off Aston Villa in fourth, and European qualification of any sort now looks a real battle.
With the transfer window opening soon, Ten Hag hopes the club makes additions, though he also feels the current squad has promise.
"I'm now going into my fifth [transfer] window," Ten Hag told reporters. "We have to make new improvements to the squad. But there is a base of this squad that is very good.
"The injuries had a big impact, but we are still below the levels of the expectations Manchester United have, so we have to catch up."
Harry Maguire, whose future is reportedly uncertain, was on Sunday ruled out for the rest of the season due to a muscle injury.
Palace, meanwhile, have breezed to Premier League safety since the arrival of Oliver Glasner in February, currently 14th in the table and 14 points clear of 18th-placed Luton Town.
The Eagles are unbeaten in four, and Glasner is hopeful his side can keep that run going as they look to finish the season strongly.
"We hope that we can keep this momentum," Glasner said.
"It is up to us how we work during the week. They look ready, I could see how focused they are in training.
"We're four games unbeaten and the goal is staying unbeaten until the end of the season."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Crystal Palace – Jean-Phillipe Mateta
Mateta has scored in each of his five home Premier League appearances under Glasner (seven goals), having only netted in five out of his first 37 home matches for Palace beforehand (five goals). The last player to score in his first six home appearances under one manager in the competition was Alan Shearer for Kevin Keegan in 1996-97 (first nine). The former Lyon striker will likely provide Palace's main goal threat on Monday.
Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes is an injury doubt for Monday's game at Selhurst Park, and his absence would be a huge blow. Fernandes created 31 chances in his six appearances in all competitions for United in April, seven more than any other Premier League player. He created nine chances in each of his last two Premier League appearances (vs Sheffield United and Burnley), becoming the only player on record to create nine or more chances in consecutive matches (2003-04 onwards). If he is ready to go on Monday, he will prove key to United's chances of victory.
MATCH PREDICTION – MAN UTD WIN
Palace won 1-0 against United at Old Trafford earlier this campaign – the Eagles have never completed a league double over the Red Devils.
United have shipped 77 goals in 47 games in all competitions this season, their most in a season since 1977-78 (80). Their current ratio of conceding (1.64 goals-per-game) is their worst since the 1962-63 campaign (1.75 per game).
Meanwhile, United won eight of their first 11 away Premier League games against Palace (three draws) but are winless in their last three (two draws, one defeat).
Palace have won both of their last two Premier League games at Selhurst Park, last winning three in a row at home in the competition in October 2022.
United have both scored and conceded in each of their last eight Premier League away games – only once have they had a longer such run in the competition, doing so in nine consecutive games between May and November 2001. They are favourites to win Monday's game, but they may have to score several to get the three points with how leaky they currently are at the back.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Palace: 29.4%
Man Utd: 41.8%
Draw: 28.8%
Maguire's league season over as Man Utd confirm muscle injury
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has suffered a muscle injury that will see him miss the final games of the Premier League season.
United face Crystal Palace on Monday, before rounding off their Premier League campaign with some tough fixtures against title-chasing Arsenal, fellow European hopefuls Newcastle United and then Brighton.
However, Erik ten Hag will have to do without centre-back Maguire, with the England international set to miss around three weeks with a muscular problem, further compounding United's injury issues in defence.
That time frame also casts Maguire's participation in the FA Cup final, which takes place on May 25, into doubt.
United will take on holders and rivals Manchester City in the Wembley showpiece, which is a repeat of last season's final.
England manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping the defender recovers fully in time for Euro 2024.
Zenden: Off-the-field uncertainty at Man Utd unhelpful for Ten Hag
Boudewijn Zenden believes ongoings off the pitch at Old Trafford have not made Erik ten Hag's time at Manchester United any easier.
Ten Hag's first season at Old Trafford was promising, finishing in the top four and ending the club's trophy drought as the Red Devils lifted the EFL Cup.
However, Ten Hag's second season in Manchester has not reached the same standards, and though the club will face rivals Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final later this month, United currently sit eighth in the Premier League, 14 points off the Champions League places.
Ten Hag's tenure at Old Trafford has included a number of off-the-field incidents, with a fallout between himself and Jadon Sancho leading to the winger going out on loan to Borussia Dortmund, while Jim Ratcliffe also became co-owner of the club earlier this year.
Zenden feels that events off the pitch have not made Ten Hag's job easy, as well as the lofty expectations that managing a club the size of United comes with.
"I have a feeling a bit that at United, there's more going on than just the results, and that doesn't make it easy for Ten Hag," Zenden told Stats Perform. "As I said, you have the press, the pundits that all have their view on United.
"That also comes probably with the frustration of the fact that United are one of the biggest clubs in the world that also had their time in Europe where they were very strong.
"For that matter, they were a little bit off the pace, and that upsets people of course. You have to be able to guide the club, the team, the players, the crowd, everybody through that particular period and seize out the storm."
With United stumbling in the Premier League, Ten Hag has come into increasing conflict with reporters of late.
Ten Hag's countryman Arne Slot is reportedly in the frame for the Liverpool job with current incumbent Jurgen Klopp leaving at the end of the season.
Zenden believes Slot's composure with the media will serve him well should he join Liverpool, an area where he feels Ten Hag has sometimes been lacking.
"I think what could be in Slot's favour is that I think he's relatively calm in his press conferences," Zenden continued. "I don't think he will get tempted quickly to start an argument with the press.
"I'm sure the press will be happy to try and lure him out to get a few controversial phrases out, but the way I look at it now, I think he's a little bit more composed.
"This is something that maybe Ten Hag didn't help himself with also a few times this year. There's been a lot of upset. The results have not been what probably everybody would have expected."
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