Cristiano Ronaldo has been pushing to leave Manchester United this summer and in the previous few months, he’s been linked with a series of big European clubs.
However, Erik ten Hag has time and again maintained that Ronaldo is an integral part of his plans and with the transfer window shutting down on Thursday, the manager has made it clear that CR7 is not going to leave.
When asked if Ronaldo is part of his plans, Ten Hag said(h/t Mail): “(It is) clear, of course.
“We need quality players. You need more to cover all the games to keep the consistency going. That is what we strive for.”
Is Cristiano Ronaldo staying at Manchester United?
Ronaldo is desperate to play in the Champions League but it looks like no club is willing to bring him in. His last hope was Napoli but on Wednesday, there have been reports that the Serie A side have also backed off from signing the forward.
🚨 Napoli have shut the door on any possibility that they could sign Cristiano Ronaldo. ⛔️🇵🇹
(Source: @mattinodinapoli) pic.twitter.com/TqXu47naZs
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 31, 2022
It was being claimed that Ten Hag had allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to leave if he can find a club but it looks like no one is ready to take a gamble with the 37-year-old.
CR7 has less than 24 hours to find a new destination or else he will have to remain at Manchester United and play in the Europa League this season.
Will Ronaldo be a regular starter for Man United?
Erik ten Hag has only spoken positive things about Cristiano Ronaldo but his trust hasn’t been replicated on the pitch.
Ronaldo has started only one game this season and it’s pretty clear that the new manager has more faith in the likes of Rashford and Anthony Martial.
Ten Hag wants to play a fast-paced pressing style at Man United but he’s understood that this plan is very hard to execute with a 37-year-old leading the line. While the manager has shown respect to Cristiano Ronaldo publicly but we don’t think the Portuguese international is going to be his main centre-forward this season.
There’s still a slim chance that Ronaldo will leave by Thursday night but if he has to stay at Manchester United then he also has to be content with playing second-fiddle.
