Cristiano Ronaldo opened the road

Cristiano Ronaldo could still leave Manchester United before the summer transfer window closes – in England it ends on September 1st. According to The Athletic, Manchester head coach Erik ten Hag, who previously opposed the idea of ​​selling the Portuguese, is now ready to part with him. The change in the mood of the Dutchman happened after the scandalous defeat of Manchester United by Brentford (0:4) in the second round of the championship of England. However, the consent of Mr. ten Hag to the departure of the 37-year-old striker does not guarantee that he will really leave. Club management links the prospect of selling Cristiano Ronaldo to signing a contract with a striker to replace him. While the queue of those wishing to join the Manchester team is not observed.

The defeat of Manchester United in the Sunday match of the second round of the championship of the English Premier League against Brentford (already by the 35th minute Manchester United conceded four unanswered goals) in addition to purely emotional consequences (Manchester United fans called the incident a disgrace) may also have consequences quite practical. Edition The Athletic citing sources at the club, he reports that the failure in Brentford so impressed Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag (this defeat entered his name in the history of the club – he is the first coach since 1921 to lose the first two official matches after being appointed to the post) that he had changed his mind about the prospects for cooperation with the five-time winner of the Golden Ball Cristiano Ronaldo. The publication claims that now Mr. ten Hag is not against the sale of the 37-year-old Portuguese.

Recallthat Cristiano Ronaldo missed all of Manchester United’s pre-season training camp (according to the official version, for some family reasons). There were reports from his entourage that he wanted to change the club, since Manchester did not win the right to play in the Champions League. The club’s management, however, insisted on the return of the player. But now Cristiano Ronaldo, according to The Athletic, in every possible way emphasizes his skepticism about the team. Starting from eating lunch in the canteen at the club’s base at a separate table, ending with sarcastically applauding Eric ten Hag’s tasks in training. Note that the Dutchman is known as an adherent of the most intense training – the day after the defeat from Brentford, he forced the team to run a 15-kilometer cross in 30-degree heat.

In general, the sources of The Athletic believe that Cristiano Ronaldo, although he fully fulfills his obligations during the training process, still creates a very difficult situation in the team. So, there is every reason to sell it.

However, the club’s management is not yet going to part with the Portuguese. “The position of the club on this issue has not changed,” said Sky Sports source at Manchester United.

Such a position, the source of The Athletic believes, is dictated by the fact that at the moment there is simply no one to replace the Portuguese in the front line. The proposed purchase of Marko Arnautovic (Bologna) fell through. The same thing happened in the story with Benjamin Seshko (Leipzig). The prospects for the purchase of Alvaro Morata (owned by Atlético, plays on loan at Juventus) remain unclear. Sources say that in search of a striker, Manchester are already going roundabout ways, namely, with the help of third parties, they are trying to find contact with Mauro Icardi (PSG) and even 35-year-old Jamie Vardy, who seemed to be planning to play at Leicester until the end of his career.

We add that there is a demand for the services of Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his age. So, in mid-July, the Spanish edition AS reported that one of the clubs from Saudi Arabia is ready to pay the Portuguese $ 250 million for two seasons. In addition, it was reported that the Arab team was ready to buy Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract for $30 million and spend up to $20 million on agency services.

Alexander Petrov