The uncertainty that surrounds the future of Christiano Ronaldo at Manchester United has brought about a lot of tension. The Portuguese forward has indicated his interest in leaving the club in search of Champions League football. This has been delayed however, as he has reportedly been rejected by a number of other clubs.
Former Manchester United player, Rio Ferdinand, says the club have missed the opportunity to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and has urged the Old Trafford giants to hang onto the five-time Ballon d’Or winner for another season.
Rio Ferdinand: “People are saying you’ve got to let Ronaldo go. Well, get someone in who can score 24-25 goals first.
Rio Ferdinand: “Darwin Nunez has gone, Erling Haaland has gone and Robert Lewandowski has gone. They were the three players that you were thinking; look these are the only ones that you were going to go for that will outright come into the Manchester United team immediately, but they’re gone.
Rio Ferdinand: “So Manchester United can’t let Ronaldo go, they can’t. Even if he’s begging to go they just can’t let him go. It’s not the right thing to do, I don’t think.”
Rio Ferdinand: “You’re gambling on Anthony Martial, who’s never been consistent enough and who they would have let go for peanuts last season if they could have, if there were any takers. He went to Sevilla and didn’t do it.
Rio Ferdinand: “Marcus Rashford hasn’t played properly for probably 18 months, maybe longer. Jadon Sancho last season didn’t hit the heights that United expected and Anthony Elanga’s a young kid…
Rio Ferdinand: “So you’re looking at this and thinking; who can we hang our hat on and say yes, he’s going to drag the others up? Bruno Fernandes maybe, but he’s not a striker. It’s very easy for everybody to say; ‘you’ve got to get rid of Ronaldo, it’s a circus around him, he’s bringing too much attention’.
Rio Ferdinand: “He might be bringing a little more attention than the club wants. But he guarantees goals every single season.”
There might be a lot of truth in Ferdinand’s statement, because Manchester United need a consistent striker to get them back into winning ways. Erik Ten Hag’s revival project gets underway against Brighton on Sunday and he will have to utilise his available resources. With Anthony Martial sidelined, Ten Hag will have to bring out the best of his team, including Ronaldo in it.