Manchester United released Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, bringing an end to the 37-year-old’s tumultuous second spell with the club.

The move comes after Ronaldo criticized the Glazer family, United manager Erik ten Hag, and his now-former teammates in a scathing interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan last week.

United waited until they could review the 90-minute interview in its entirety before launching legal proceedings last Friday and eventually voiding Ronaldo’s contract.

“Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement.

Ronaldo’s deal would have expired in June 2023. Now a free agent, he can sign with any club at any point.

He was earning an estimated £500,000 per week at United.

Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Roma, and Napoli have all been linked with Ronaldo in recent months.

“I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge,” Ronaldo said in a statement obtained by the BBC’s Simon Stone. “I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future.”

The Portuguese international, who’s playing in his fifth World Cup, told Morgan he felt “betrayed” by United’s attempts to offload him in the summer. Ronaldo also said the club didn’t believe him when his newborn daughter was hospitalized in August, that he has no respect for Ten Hag, and that United have failed to upgrade their facilities since he made his first debut for the club in 2003.

The Red Devils re-signed Ronaldo from Juventus in August 2021. He went on to lead the team in scoring, racking up 24 goals in 39 total appearances.

But things seemed to change when United fired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager last November. Ronaldo criticized the club’s decision to hire Ralf Rangnick, who served in an interim capacity for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign, before butting heads with Ten Hag.

Ten Hag repeatedly told reporters Ronaldo was a part of his plans for the 2022-23 season. But the Dutchman started him just four times in the Premier League and dropped him from the squad altogether when Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

The Glazer family is shifting its attention to selling Manchester United now that the Cristiano Ronaldo fiasco is over.

Manchester United said Tuesday that the American family will explore options, which could include selling the Premier League club outright. United’s owners will also consider a partial sale or a strategic partnership with third parties.

“The board will consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the company,” United said in a statement.

“There can be no assurance that the review being undertaken will result in any transaction involving the Company,” the statement added.

The Glazer family has procured the services of investment banking firms, including the Raine Group, for advice during the process. The Raine Group also aided in Chelsea’s recent sale.

The news will likely be welcomed by many Manchester United supporters, who have grown increasingly frustrated since the Glazers took ownership in 2005. Fans have staged several protests outside Old Trafford – most recently in August – calling for the Glazers to sell the team.

Several such protests erupted in 2021 after the club announced it had agreed to join the newly formed European Super League before that deal collapsed. Fans caused the postponement of United’s game against Liverpool on May 2, 2021, after gaining access to the interior of Old Trafford.

A dramatic decline in on-pitch performance has also been a common grievance for supporters.

Although the Red Devils have been one of the highest-spending teams in the world, numerous high-profile transfers have failed to deliver success, bringing to light the club’s suspect recruitment strategy.

Ronaldo’s return in 2021 is the latest transfer that’s come back to haunt the club.

The Red Devils announced Monday that they have terminated Ronaldo’s contract after an explosive pre-World Cup interview in which he criticized the club, manager Erik ten Hag, and his now-former United teammates.

After purchasing United for £790 million in 2005, the Glazers will likely sell the club for more than the £2.5 billion paid by a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly to buy Chelsea earlier in 2022. The Glazers could demand between £5 billion and £9 billion, according to Mark Kleinman of Sky Sports.

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe said last summer he was eager to purchase United after failing to buy Chelsea. But he revealed in October that the Glazers “don’t want to sell” after he met with members of the family.