sport news Ronaldo claims Man Utd 'didn't believe' his daughter's illness when he arrived ... trends now

Cristiano Ronaldo has sensationally accused Manchester United of doubting his daughter was ill in hospital when he told them it was the reason he arrived back late for pre-season training in the summer.

Ronaldo, 37, has rocked United to its core after giving an explosive tell-all interview to Piers Morgan on Sunday, in which he claimed the club has 'betrayed' him while insisting he has 'no respect' for head coach Erik ten Hag.

Sportsmail has revealed that Old Trafford lawyers are exploring potential ways the interview may constitute a breach of contract, with United hoping to terminate his deal and move on from the saga.

But in perhaps his most damning comments yet, Ronaldo has also alleged that Red Devils officials 'didn't believe something was going wrong' when he arrived back late for pre-season and put it down to his baby daughter's illness.

The Portugal captain and partner Georgina Rodriguez, 28, tragically revealed that their newborn son had died during birth on April 18, but his twin daughter survived.

Tributes flooded in from the footballing world after the couple shared their heartbreaking news, including from United's arch-rivals Liverpool, who broke into a rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone following a minute's applause.

Ronaldo and Rodriguez also received a personal note of condolence from the Royal Family, however the United icon has blasted his club for a lack of 'empathy' after he arrived late for pre-season training because his three-month-old daughter was hospitalised in July.