Ronaldo to stay at Man Utd? Here's what the evidence says
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 13 Feb 2022 15:05 GMT
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo looks increasingly unlikely to be a Manchester United player next season.
Less than six months after returning to the club he left in 2009 from Juventus, the fairy tale return has developed into something of a nightmare.
Ronaldo is presently in his worst goal drought since 2009 and he has rediscovered a team whose fortunes have spiralled in recent years. Even the influence of the great Portuguese has been unable to stop the rot.
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What he had hoped would be a dream reunion has tumbled into an embarrassing mismatch between a player who is unsuited to what the club now wants.
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ronaldo’s spot in the team could be justified by the scoring contribution he made. Since Ralf Rangnick took interim charge, that has plummeted and the 37-year-old now finds himself amidst his worst spell of form in nearly a decade and a half.
"This is obvious that United need a striker,” Ralf Rangnick admitted. “Edinson Cavani's contract is running out in the summer and the club needs the best possible centre-forward. I think everyone is aware of that.”
Ronaldo on his way out?
If United are to sign ‘the best possible centre-forward’ as the German wants, they will only be able to do so by offering him a regular opportunity to lead the line. Is Erling Haaland going to move to Old Trafford to be a back-up option? No chance.
Meanwhile, Rangnick has previously hinted that he sees Ronaldo as a luxury option and would prefer a different style of player to lead the line.
And, of course, does Ronaldo want to spend his last year or two at the very summit of the game playing for a team that is not competitive? Unless by some miracle Man Utd win the Champions League this season, they will finish the campaign without silverware, while there is every chance they will miss out on Europe’s top competition next season.
This cannot be a state of affairs that Ronaldo, who has known nothing but the best throughout his career, will settle for.
Nothing is settled yet, but the signs are increasingly pointing to Ronaldo leaving Man Utd in the summer.
