Paul Merson believes Erik ten Hag will want Cristiano Ronaldo to move on from Man United this summer.
Manchester United are at a crossroads. There’s no doubt that Erik ten Hag will bring fresh ideas and tactics with him when he walks through the Old Trafford doors. It’ll be interesting to see what that means for senior members of this squad.
The current Ajax boss has demanded complete control of transfers and contracts. That’s completely fair. He needs to oversee absolutely everything, ensuring the club work to his structure if we’re to return to the absolute top.
I always felt like it was a given that Ten Hag would want to work with a top-class player like Cristiano Ronaldo. After all, he’s the Greatest of All Time. Surely any manager would like to have that on their CV?
Well, apparently not Ten Hag, according to Sky Sports’ Paul Merson.
Merse has admitted he’d be surprised if Ten Hag would want to keep the key 23-goal star at United next season. That’s because Ten Hag is trying to build a team from the ground up, possibly fearing that Ronaldo doesn’t fit into his system.
Check out what Paul Merson had to say in full here:
“I’d be surprised if Erik ten Hag wants him there to be honest.” Merson said live on Sky Sports News, per the MEN.
“He’s trying to build his team and Ronaldo is 37. PSG could go for him and make him their short-term replacement for Kylian Mbappe. PSG only want one thing – the Champions League. Ronaldo is a proven asset in the competition. He’s scored goals, he sells shirts, he’s done it all.
There’s no doubt that Ronaldo’s effort (or lack of) doesn’t fit in with Ten Hag’s ideology of pressing from the front. But sometimes, you have to make exceptions to the rule. I believe Ronaldo is one of those exceptions.
He’s scored 23 goals in this struggling team. Imagine how good he could be in a side performing at the top level?
I guess it’s down to what the player wants. After all, he is under contract next season and he will remain at the club if he wants to. However, I can imagine the Portugal international will not be short of offers from Champions League clubs – if that’s what he wants…
We covered a story claiming that the Glazers wouldn’t be adverse to getting Ronaldo’s huge wages off the books, but again, it may be hard to do that if Ronaldo isn’t planning on going anywhere.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this one plays out…
Should Man United keep Cristiano Ronaldo at the club next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
Be the first to comment