Manchester United are set to instruct Cristiano Ronaldo to not return to the club following the conclusion of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

The Lowdown: Ronaldo's big interview

Following United's 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League last Sunday, it was revealed that Ronaldo had been involved in an interview with TalkTV discussing his issues with the club and Erik ten Hag.

During the interview, the 37-year-old claimed that Ten Hag does not have respect for him and that certain members of the club's board have been trying to force the striker out of Old Trafford.

This has led to the club releasing a statement saying that they have "initiated appropriate steps in response" to the interview, while Romano has since shared an update about the club's plans to deal with the situation.

The Latest: United's stance on Ronaldo

In a recent post on Twitter, Romano revealed that United could tell Ronaldo not to bother returning to training with the club after his involvement in the World Cup ends, with further steps possibly being taken.

He tweeted: "It’s true that Manchester United are prepared to instruct Cristiano Ronaldo not to return to Carrington after World Cup, this is the plan as things stand. #MUFC This is one of the first steps after the interview — more will follow in the next days."

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The Verdict: Time to say goodbye

Taking into account what the Portuguese icon, who will be representing his country in Qatar for the World Cup, has said in the interview, it now seems to be in United's hands over whether they feel the player has brought the club into disrepute and done enough to warrant them getting rid of his contract.

In terms of what the attacker has done on the pitch this season, in 16 appearances across all competitions, Ronaldo has delivered six goal contributions, five of which have come against the likes of Real Sociedad, Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League.

Despite his occasional usefulness in front of goal, we feel that he has effectively burned his bridges with United and made it impossible to play for them again. Now that the World Cup is close to kicking off, this should give United enough time to get things sorted and decide what the next step will be regarding Ronaldo once the January transfer window opens.