Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been told he’s free to leave Man United in January if a satisfactory offer is made, after Ronaldo was an unused substitute in United’s 6-3 Derby Day thrashing at the hands of Man City on Sunday.
Former Real Madrid forward and footballing icon Cristiano Ronaldo made a sensational return to Old Trafford in August last year, 12 years after leaving United for the Bernabeu. The striker bagged 24 goals and 3 assists in 39 appearances last season, finishing 3rd in the Premier League Golden Boot race.
However, Ronaldo came under severe scrutiny for his impact on the team, with the younger players often feeling pressured to give CR7 the ball given his prestige, and the fact that many of them idolized him growing up. This came to the detriment of the team, as players would often be better suited to playing a pass to another teammate in a more advanced position than the 37-year-old.
This season is bound to have been an unprecedented struggle for Ronaldo as he finds himself on the bench for the majority of United’s important games, with his last two starts coming in the UEFA Europa League. Ronaldo has only amassed a single goal from around 380 minutes of football this campaign thus far.
In fact, there is a strong correlation between Ronaldo starting games and United losing, such is the disconnect in the team when he’s on the pitch. But in all fairness to the 5-time Ballon D’or winner, other players have a similar link between their game time and the Red Devils dropping points, namely captain Harry Maguire.
Now, The Telegraph reports that the all-time top goal scorer in football history is being allowed to leave in January, should the Red Devils receive a satisfactory offer.
Ronaldo was heavily linked with a move away in the summer after being unhappy with United’s squad and their chances of sustaining a challenge for silverware. Furthermore, he would have wanted one last shot at UEFA Champions League glory, which would have been Ronaldo’s sixth success in a competition he is the all-time top scorer of, should it have come to fruition.
Despite links to Chelsea, Bayern Munich and even Napoli, the closest CR7 got to a move was a proposal from an unknown club in Saudi Arabia. The middle-eastern club reportedly offered Ronaldo a two-year contract worth £211million per year, which would have made him the highest paid player in world football by a country mile.
However, Ronaldo rejected the move in favour of landing one last contract at a big European club. CR7 is aiming to use the Qatar World Cup to enhance his value and attract more suitors ahead of what is likely to be Ronaldo’s last bout at a top European club.