As the end of the summer transfer window looms large, the main question on every Manchester United supporter’s mind is whether Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at the club come September 2.
This time last year, fans were jubilant as the ‘prodigal son’ decided to return home to Old Trafford after a gap of 12 years and his comeback was supposed to herald United’s return to the top of the English football pyramid.
But the season turned out to be a major disappointment with United finishing a miserable sixth and ended up missing out on Champions League football, which has led to United’s No 7 wanting to leave the club yet again.
He ended up scoring 24 times in 38 appearances and while goals are usually the main currency for a striker, the potential pitfalls of having the Portugal skipper far outweighs the benefits.
🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammates at Manchester United reportedly celebrated when they found out that he wanted to leave this summer.
Some of them think he’s a ‘pain in the arse’.
(Source: ESPN) pic.twitter.com/LFdkFTIlU1
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 30, 2022
Fall from grace for CR7
Unlike 2009, this time around most fans and even the new manager Erik ten Hag as well as the squad would be more than happy to see the back of him.
Mark Ogden’s ESPN article even goes on to mention how the players were happy to learn that the Portuguese striker would be leaving the club.
“When Ronaldo’s desire to leave United became public in July, a source told ESPN that the news was greeted with joy by the majority of his teammates and that Ronaldo had become a “pain in the a—.”
The publication has found similarity between the 37-year-old’s current situation and the one that Sir Alex Ferguson had dealt with involving former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo.
Sir Alex had ultimately decided to sell the Dutch striker despite his prolific form and United’s current Dutch coach should also be thinking along similar lines.
Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has been trying desperately to find a Champions League club for his client but so far, most elite clubs have turned down the opportunity to sign the five-time Ballon d’Or winner which is a tell-tale sign that his powers are on the wane.
Better to end United adventure
The noise from the Champions League all-time top-scorer’s camp is that the current United squad is vastly different to what he was accustomed to and none of them share his winning mentality.
ESPN mention how Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire are not of the same ilk as Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand which has disappointed the Portuguese hitman.
For a born-winner like the former Real Madrid man, it can be hard to adjust to such a change in situations but his off-field antics are currently causing too much friction in the United dressing room with Ten Hag even using him as a substitute in the last two games.
And United might find it difficult to find a replacement as prolific as Ronaldo even with the acquisition of Antony but eventually, Ten Hag’s reign will be much smoother without the fan favourite.
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