Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has, on Monday, provided a fresh update on the future of wantaway attacker Cristiano Ronaldo.
The news which Manchester United supporters across the globe were dreading was of course finally forthcoming a fortnight ago.
This came in the form of confirmation that star attacker Ronaldo had informed the powers that be at Old Trafford of his desire to depart, should a suitable offer for his services be tabled.
The 37-year-old is understood to be keen to avoid a season plying his trade outside of the Champions League so late in his illustrious career, having been left understandably underwhelmed by developments on the red half of Manchester since his return 12 months ago.
šŗ EXCLUSIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to be allowed to leave Manchester United should the Premier League club receive a satisfactory offer in the transfer window https://t.co/yx8POGB5M4
ā Times Sport (@TimesSport) July 2, 2022
The two weeks since, in turn, have inevitably been packed with rumours and reports surrounding where exactly Ronaldo is likely to land next.
To this point, the likes of Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma and Napoli have all been tipped as potential landing spots for the veteran attacker.
And yet, as things stand, the most likely scenario come the summerās end is in fact one which sees Ronaldo stay put at Old Trafford.
This comes owing to a combination of a lack of suitable offers, and the keenness of Erik ten Hag to keep hold of his sideās central spearhead.
Speaking to the media on Monday, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of Ronaldoās future was, once more, put to Manchester Unitedās headmaster.
Ten Hag, though, remained altogether unwavering.
After reiterating that the Portuguese is absolutely ānot for saleā, the latest instillation on the bench at Old Trafford even went as far as to suggest that Ronaldo could ultimately extend his terms beyond the summer of 2023:
Erik ten Hag: āCristiano Ronaldo is not for sale. I planned with him, and Iām looking forward to working with him. The situation is still the same. I am well informed ā he also has an option for a further seasonā šØš“ #MUFC
āRonaldo could stay beyond this season? Yesā, he added. pic.twitter.com/ZhUHARoQrf
ā Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 18, 2022
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