In the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo surprise request to leave Manchester United, the club’s manager Erik ten Hag is scrambling to incorporate the fallout from the Portugal star’s power play into his plans.
He returned to Manchester United from Juventus only one year ago, but Ronaldo has already become so dissatisfied that he’s attempting to drive his way out of Old Trafford.
It has been alleged that the 37-year-old has informed Manchester United that he wants to be sold, with his agent Jorge Mendes said to have conducted conversations with Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Napoli.
As Manchester United went through three managers and finished sixth in the Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo’s dissatisfaction grew.
United finished the season without a title and outside of the Champions League, despite Ronaldo’s 24 goals across all competitions.
A five-time Ballon d’Or winner and five-time Champions League champion has little interest in competing in the Europa League.
Ronaldo has one year left on his contract with Real Madrid, and the Red Devils are certain that the former Real Madrid forward will not be for sale.
Ten Hag had expressed excitement at the idea of working with Ronaldo, but he may have to prepare for life without his most cherished player.
When the rest of United’s international players came on Monday for the start of their pre-season training, former Ajax manager Ten Hag had little chance of persuading Cristiano Ronaldo to give up his transfer request.
In preparation for his or her trip of Asia and Australia, United is scheduled to go to Thailand on Friday.
Ronaldo’s second stint at Manchester United might come to an end quickly if he fails to make the flight.
Todd Boehly, Chelsea’s new co-owner, is said to be interested in starting a new era at Stamford Bridge with the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Whether or whether Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s manager, can be as accommodating following Ronaldo’s disastrous first season back in Manchester, remains to be seen.
In spite of Ronaldo’s unrivalled finishing ability, he did not always show signs of wanting to participate in the fast-paced, frantic game that interim manager Ralf Rangnick intended to use.
Manchester United manager John Murtough was allegedly persuaded by the lack of mobility and questionable work ethic of Cristiano Ronaldo to elevate him during the January transfer window.
Ronaldo’s plea was denied, and he was a disappointing part of the team for the rest of the season.
The star and Manchester United captain Harry Maguire have had their differences in public when he was substituted during a match against Brentford and openly battled with Rangnick.
He will remember that life with Ronaldo isn’t always easy and wonder whether he’d be better off without the distractions that surround him.
Despite the fact that Manchester City and Liverpool are now aeons ahead of United, Ten Hag must cleanse a team that got toxic last season in order to convert them into contenders for a first English crown since 2013.
The contentious While the loss of Paul Pogba was unfortunate, Ten Hag is certain that he can infuse his own personality into the team with a slew of new additions over the next few days.
Christian Eriksen and Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia are said to be close to signing a three-year deal.
Frenkie De Jong (Barcelona) and Lisandro Martinez (Ajax) are other targets for Ten Hag.
Those proposals are positive, but Ten Hag must also find a solution to the Ronaldo conundrum without allowing the situation to spiral out of control.