28.01.2022 » Will Ronaldo stay at Old Trafford next season?
When Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled to the Manchester United faithful back in August, there was much fanfare and excitement about the return of one of the club’s most gifted players in its 143-year history. Indeed, the man known as CR7 is not just one of the best players to ever wear the red shirt, but perhaps the standout performer of the game full stop. Unfortunately, things haven’t quite gone to plan for either Ronaldo or his club since the transfer. Disappointing form in the league saw manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer relieved of his duties in November and his replacement Ralf Rangnick has steadied the ship without setting the world alight in the interim. So with the club’s season in the balance, is Ronaldo likely to hang around for another year?
Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United:
The status quo
When Ronaldo made his illustrious return to the club which forged his reputation, he put pen to paper on a two-year deal worth a reported £480,000 each week. In the eyes of the club, that eye-watering sum is at least partially offset by the fact that they were able to secure his services for the relatively modest transfer fee of £12.9 million from Juventus.
So surely Ronaldo will definitely stick around and see out his contract, right? Not according to certain quarters of the media, who believe that Ronaldo will insist on a transfer away from Manchester if United do not qualify for the Champions League in 2022/23. At present, their league form is just as unpredictable as the roulette wheel at the sites featured on www.pikakasinot.com and the team have not been nearly as much fun to watch, either. That’s not the CR7 way.
European prospects
Indeed, at the time of writing Man United were barely in the European places at all, let alone qualifying for the Champions League. With their bitter city rivals Man City running away with the league and both Liverpool and Chelsea seemingly clear of the chasing pack, that leaves just one Champions League spot up for grabs.
Theoretically, Man United could certainly grab fourth place from their competitors, especially given that their squad is, at least on paper, far superior to most other teams. Nonetheless, West Ham have been punching admirably above their weight all season and Arsenal appear to be getting a good tune out of their young guns, while Tottenham are finally finding their feet under Antonio Conte. And that's even before Wolves, Aston Villa and Leicester City come into the conversation. Clearly, qualifying for Europe's elite competition will be no easy task.
United's perspective
Meanwhile, there is also the argument that Man United might not even want to honour the rest of Ronaldo's contract. Although having their talisman back resulted in a much-needed injection of enthusiasm around the club and he remains their top scorer in the league at present, the performances of both the individual and the team have not quite been up to scratch.
Indeed, some observers have even speculated that the move was wrong for both parties and that replacing Ronaldo with a younger model around whom they can build the team going forward is a better strategy. At 36, Ronaldo is still impressive enough – but he's not getting any younger and names like Erling Braut Haaland or even Harry Kane could make more long-term sense for United.
Although Ronaldo remains one of the world's best players, his advanced years and United's internal struggles might mean that he does not fulfil his contract and moves onto pastures new next season… but only time will tell.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Manchester United is on February 4, against Middlesbrough. You can watch Manchester United vs Middlesbrough, Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid, Argentina vs Colombia, Canada vs USA, PSG vs Nice, and Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig, all matches provided from our live soccer game pages.
Manchester United next game:
Manchester United vs Middlesbrough kick-off time (04-02-2022):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / bbc.co.uk / metro.co.uk
