The British newspaper "Telegraph" confirmed that the departure of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in the upcoming winter transfer window in January 2023, based on his desire, is closer to becoming a reality than ever before. The newspaper stated that Dutch coach Erik Ten Hag, the head coach of Manchester United, will not stand in Ronaldo's way if a good offer comes in, despite his initial wish to keep him when he took charge of the team a few months ago.
Ronaldo (37 years old) sought to leave Manchester United in the previous summer transfer window, but his attempts were unsuccessful. The Portuguese star has been linked with transfers to Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Napoli, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, all of which participate in the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, Manchester United is participating in the Europa League, and this is the first time Ronaldo has played in this competition, despite having spent 19 consecutive seasons in the Champions League, where he won the title five times and holds numerous records.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 from Juventus and scored 24 goals in 39 matches last season. However, this season, he has participated in 8 matches totaling 378 minutes, scoring one goal from a penalty.
Regarding his decision not to use Ronaldo against Manchester City in the 3-6 loss, Ten Hag stated: "I didn’t bring him on after we fell behind 4-0 at the end of the first half, out of respect for Cristiano and his history and great career."
