‘Must be hurting’ - Jesse Lingard has say on Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United comments

Former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard says Cristiano Ronaldo “must be hurting” at Old Trafford in light of his comments about the club.

Clips from Ronaldo's interview with Piers Morgan have been shared over the past few days with the full 90-minute sit-down to be aired in two parts across Wednesday and Thursday night at 8pm on TalkTV.

And Nottingham Forest midfielder Lingard has now been asked about the controversial topic, describing Ronaldo as “the greatest player in the world” while explaining how football can be “crazy”. After a turbulent few years, Lingard left United when his contract expired in the summer having played 232 times and scored 17 goals, lifting a Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the academy graduate described how he had his grievances with the club during that period but ensured he “kept it behind closed doors”. He added that both parties left on “good terms”.

However, Lingard reiterated Ronaldo is the one who has to deal with the situation he finds himself in. The superstar aimed a number of accusations at United, saying he felt “betrayed” and had lost respect for boss Erik ten Hag.

Lingard refrained from delving deep into the specifics of the fallout but suggested Ronaldo must not feel at ease at the club, hence his outburst. "It’s his [Ronaldo’s] situation,” the 29-year-old stated.

“I dealt with my own situation with the club. Also, we kept it behind closed doors but we still ended on good terms of course, so I support the club.

“But that’s his situation, I don’t know what’s been said or what’s happened between him and the manager - that’s not my place to say. I can’t really comment on something I don’t know too much on.

“It’s his situation and that’s how he’s dealing with it. Football’s crazy sometimes. Ronaldo is the greatest player in the world and he must be hurting but like I say I can’t comment on that situation at the moment.”