Ronaldo offered new way out of Man Utd nightmare
FT Desk
- 29 Oct 2022 22:50 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly be offered a tempting way out of his current malaise at Manchester United during the January transfer window.
The striker's next destination could be back to where it all began, at his boyhood club Sporting.
Ronaldo, 37, has cut an almost unrecognisable figure this season at Old Trafford.
After failing to manoeuvre a move away from United over the summer, the striker has been sparsely used by manager Erik ten Hag and, aside from the club's opening Premier League games and in the Europa League, has mostly featured in cameos from the bench.
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Ronaldo has also courted controversy with his behaviour, leaving before the final whistle during a recent victory over Tottenham and earning a sharp rebuke from Ten Hag.
Relief may be on hand for the veteran, however, in the shape of his first team.
The Mirror reports that Sporting will offer United a compromise over Ronaldo's £500,000-a-week wage packet.
Under the proposed terms the Portuguese side would pay most of his salary, with United making up the rest directly to the player.
Why would Ronaldo join Sporting?
Sporting may not be the high-profile elite club Ronaldo had in mind when making his transfer demands in the summer, but the move has two big advantages.
If he moves he has a chance of continuing in the Champions League, with Sporting guaranteed qualification to the knockout stage should they beat Frankfurt in Wednesday's final round of Group D fixtures.
Both Ronaldo and Sporting would also be able to present the transfer as the player finally and triumphantly returning to where it all began, the place where he starred as a teenage sensation before moving to United.
Any transfer decision, though, must first be approved by Ten Hag, who throughout this turbulent season has insisted that Ronaldo remains a big part of his plans.
