The three Man Utd players who could benefit if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves

Karan Tejwani

Updated: 8 Jul 2022 07:11 BST
3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo has made his intention to leave Manchester United clear, following disappointments over their performances and activity in the transfer window.

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The Portuguese star wants to spend the final years of his career in the Champions League and at a club where he can compete for trophies, and he doesn’t feel that’s possible at Manchester United.

United have already signed Tyrell Malacia and are looking to complete deals for Christian Eriksen, Frenkie de Jong and Lisandro Martinez, as Erik ten Hag begins work at Old Trafford.

Still, though, Ronaldo is adamant on leaving to play Champions League football, and that could open the door for others to shine and step up for the club.

Marcus Rashford

Rashford enters this campaign on the back of a difficult campaign, where he returned from surgery and was affected by the instability at the club.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking and the lack of clarity under Ralf Rangnick affected many, and Rashford was seemingly one of them, but the attack opening up because of Ronaldo’s departure could help.

Lots of attacking players were apparently burdened by Ronaldo’s arrival, having previously shone, and the drop in Rashford’s attacking number showed that – maybe, this could be an opportunity for him.

Anthony Martial

Martial is a bit of an enigma: when he’s in a good patch, he’s great to watch, but that’s quite rare, so it’s hard to say he would be helped by Ronaldo’s departure, but it’s possible.

For one, he would certainly get more chances as he’s the only other attacking option at the club – whether Ten Hag can ensure the forward keeps his confidence is a different matter.

Martial would certainly be helped by the Portuguese’s departure, but there are plenty of variables: form, environment, the service he gets, Ten Hag’s coaching and more.

Alejandro Garnacho

Garnacho is one of the best talents coming through the Manchester United academy, and had a starring role in the club’s FA Youth Cup success last season.

He’s expected to be given a greater role in the Manchester United first-team next season under Ten Hag, and Ronaldo leaving could increase those chances.

Although not having Ronaldo’s influence would be a miss for him, perhaps he could do with the opportunities he gets in the first team for the benefit of his long-term career.