The summer transfer window has come and gone, yet Cristiano Ronaldo remains at Manchester United. The Portuguese legend was keen on a move away from Old Trafford in the pursuit of Champions League football, but nothing ever materialized. While Bayern Munich, Atletico, and Chelsea reportedly turned down the chance to sign Cristiano, Napoli was also said to be interested in his services.
However, it appears the Italian giants were never actually serious about bringing the 37-year-old in as their sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli explained. Via Bein Sports:
“During the transfer market we pretend to chat with everyone, and sometimes we do it for real,” he said on Friday.
“But we wanted to invest in a young team.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is no spring chicken anymore and to be honest, he definitely changes the plans of any team's attack, never mind the high wages. Now, the frontman is left scratching his head with the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag's squad got off to a brutal start in the Premier League, losing their first two matches. But, they've now won four league games in a row and Ronaldo hasn't started a single one. Marcus Rashford is currently the first-choice option up top for United. In fact, Cristiano is strictly being used as a substitute, which is still weird to see.
Cristiano did get a start in the Europa League on Thursday though, but it resulted in a 1-0 defeat against Real Sociedad. He had chances, but the legend couldn't finish. I guess that's what happens when you're not playing on a regular basis.
There is simply no other way to put it. Cristiano Ronaldo is in an unfavorable situation for a player of his stature and talent. Pretty much no club was willing to sign him in the summer and he can't even fight his way into ten Hag's starting XI.
Perhaps he should've stayed away from Manchester United in the first place. But, you live and you learn. At least he has a World Cup to look forward to.
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