Cristiano Ronaldo‘s future is set to dominate the Manchester United headlines over the coming days, after his controversial interview with TalkTV and The Sun.
Ronaldo criticised manager Erik ten Hag and said he has no respect for the Dutchman, comments which surely signal the end of his Manchester United career.
Where Ronaldo goes next is uncertain. He did not have a big market in the summer, and his form this season has taken a big step back.
He has only three goals from 56 shots at goal, and his decision to publicly criticise his manager like this, shows he will be a difficult player to take on.
Sporting boss on Ronaldo’s future
The topic of Cristiano Ronaldo’s future has already been discussed in Portugal, with Sporting manager Ruben Amorim asked about it after their 2-1 win at Famalicao.
Amorim gave a non-committal response, responding that ultimately any move for Ronaldo would not be down to him.
He told Mais Futebol: “I’ve been asked that question a thousand times. He’s a Manchester United player, he’s made his career, everyone at Sporting likes him, and there’s not much to say about that.
“He’s the one who says he wants to be left alone so he can decide the future of his life. His track record and what he gave football is what he decides to do with the future. I am very happy with my players and Ronaldo is a Manchester United player.”
Ronaldo is unlikely to be a Manchester United player for very much longer. One option is for the club to attempt to terminate Ronaldo’s contract.
As for his next move, it will ultimately depend on how drastically Ronaldo is prepared to cut his wages by – and this will depend on the level of interest he receives.
Amorim’s comment which said ‘everyone at Sporting likes him’, suggests there may be some interest in bringing him back, if it were financially possible.
The Portuguese club were however eliminated from the Champions League earlier this month, dropping down to the Europa League, where they will play FC Midtjylland. This would make signing for them less attractive for Ronaldo.
If Ronaldo were to re-sign for them, and they drew Manchester United in a later round of the Europa League, he would be ineligible to play.
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