Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Manchester United is far from certain, with the 37-year-old involved in one dramatic incident after another this season.
Ronaldo tried to engineer a move away from the club over the summer but a lack of suitable offers for the player and United meant that he would be remaining for at least half of the 2022/23 season.
The most recent controversy surrounding Ronaldo came when the forward refused to come on as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Tottenham last week, which led to him being removed from first-team training and the squad against Chelsea.
Ronaldo was back in training this week and he’s in contention to feature against FC Sheriff in the Europa League but it remains to be seen how Erik ten Hag handles the situation.
Rumours around a potential exit are still widespread, however. Over the summer, Serie A giants Napoli were one of the clubs most frequently linked with a move for Ronaldo but now, the club have rejected the idea of signing Ronaldo.
“Ronaldo in January? We won’t sign any player in January,” club director Cristiano Giuntoli told DAZN, via talkSPORT.
“We don’t need to change anything in this team. We’re doing great and we’re not planning any signing, as of today.”
SN’s verdict…
Ronaldo is not blessed with options if he’s planning on making a switch in January – his best bet is probably to impress during the World Cup.
An impressive campaign with Portugal would once again boost his value and reputation and although it’s hard to predict, you could imagine there would be quite many clubs keen on his arrival if he fires Portugal to world glory.
It does, however, look like his relationship with Ten Hag is severely fractured and the Dutchman is not planning on making him a regular starter anytime soon.