With Ronaldo gone, the Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag will now be able to focus on imposing his long-term vision at the club, as he suggested that young players could play a key role after impressing in the international break.
Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo has admitted that he would consider making a move to Manchester United but said that the Premier League giants are yet to make contact with him regarding a transfer.
Gakpo has been in stunning form for the Dutch in the Qatar World Cup and has three goals from four matches as the 2010 runners-up reached the quarterfinal stages of this year’s tournament. They will face Lionel Messi and Argentina in the final eight of the World Cup.
Manchester United has terminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract, putting an unfortunate end to his second stay with the Premier League side. United made the choice in response to the infamous interview the Portugal captain gave to broadcaster Piers Morgan in which he criticised the club’s executives and manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo has been concentrating on Portugal’s current FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign in Qatar, where he scored a goal in the group stage. But when he put up underwhelming performances and didn’t feature at all during the current Premier League season, Fernando Santos benched him for their pivotal Round of 16 match against Switzerland.
Ronaldo’s replacement Goncalo Ramos was deployed as a solitary striker in Santos’ starting XI and the Benfica sharpshooter went on to bag a hat-trick in his Qatar FIFA World Cup debut. Meanwhile, Pepe and Raphael Guerreiro also scored as Portugal sealed a 6-1 victory and will face Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Manchester United might rope in Dutch Striker Cody Gakpo
- Gakpo has been linked with a move to Manchester United in the winter transfer window
- The Dutch forward it was a tough period for him when the summer move to the Premier League fell through
- Gakpo revealed that he is yet to hear from United about a winter move
After spending 12 years in Madrid and Turin, Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford for a second tenure in the summer of 2021. After his comeback, he finished the season with 24 goals across all leagues, including 18 in the Premier League, placing him third in the Golden Boot race. He also won the club’s Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award and was chosen to the Premier League Team of the Year. United finished in sixth place, failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League despite his inspiring displays.e.
After Ten Hag arrived, he got relegated to the bench with the former Ajax coach preferring Marcus Rashford. Ronaldo managed to score only one goal in 10 2022-23 Premier League appearances and two goals in the Europa League. Meanwhile, he bagged two assists in the Europa League. Speaking to MUTV, Ten Hag stated that Ronaldo is the club’s ‘past’ and they were looking to the future. “He’s gone and it’s the past. We are now looking forward and we’re looking to the future”, he said.
Ronaldo may sign a two-and-a-half year contract worth 200 million euros per season with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, according to widespread reports. However, the Portuguese international hasn’t yet ratified the agreement, claims sports news site ESPN.
What is Cody Gakpo saying about reports that he may join Manchester United
I am focused on the FIFA World Cup, says Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo amidst Manchester United rumours. Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo has said that his focus is currently on the World Cup amidst rumours connecting him with a move to Manchester United. Gakpo said that he wants to keep performing well and help the team at the moment.
