Ex-Liverpool player Danny Murphy says Cristiano Ronaldo will not be a Manchester United by the end of the January transfer window.
Speaking to Fair Betting Sites, Murphy believes Ronaldo will be, once more, forcing a way out of Old Trafford, having failed to work is way into Erik ten Hag’s first team this season.
“I think in January he’ll be looking at finding a solution to his lack of game time. “I’d be amazed to see him at Manchester United in February.” he said.
Murphy went onto state that he feels keeping Ronaldo against his will would end up causing Ten Hag more problems than solutions.
“You don’t want a player like that questioning you, being agitated on the training pitch, being a problem around the place. And actually, that’s not a Ronaldo thing. That’s any senior player who’s feeling like he’s hard done by, he’s gonna provoke.” he said.
The former Liverpool midfielder concluded by saying he feels Ronaldo has earned the right to finish his career playing first team football and says he feels sympathy for the situation that the Portuguese star currently finds himself in.
“I feel for him a bit because you do want to play every game and he’s earned the right to play,” Murphy said. “He’s earned the right to finish his career in somebody’s starting eleven.
Since trying to find a move away from Old Trafford in the summer, Ronaldo has had to make do with a role, predominantly, from the bench for United so far this season.
Despite this, Ronaldo smashed home his 700th career club goal last weekend and is expected to start for United in their Europa League game against Omonia Nicosia this evening.
With an injury to Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford still looking more suited to the left hand side, it may be now that Ronaldo gets a run of games in Ten Hag’s team, as the packed pre-World Cup schedule ramps up.
United have a raft of games on the horizon, with squad rotation key to navigating their way through the fixture list successfully.
If Ronaldo does indeed wish to leave Old Trafford in January, he will run into the same issue he did in the summer – finding a suitor. Astronomic wages and a desire to play in the Champions League left Ronaldo short of offers in his attempts to leave in the summer and the same is expected again.
Should he stay, the Portuguese superstar has the potential to cement his legendary status at the club even further by gunning the team to glory in the Europa League and in doing so add a missing trophy to his glittering list of silverware – whether he wants to be in it or not.
