A new report has stated that some players at Manchester United, were thrilled when they learned Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to leave the club this summer.
Early in July, Ronaldo had expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford due to United’s failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
This came despite the club finishing 6th after the Portuguese forward netted 18 league goals.
According to ESPN, the news of Ronaldo wanting to exit the club has gone down well with most players in the squad.
According to the aforementioned source;
“Many players thought the the 37-year-old forward had become a “pain in the a***”.”
“Ronaldo had huge expectations from the United squad and wanted the likes of Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford to perform at a higher level which did not go down well with the rest of the squad.”
“It is therefore possible that there could be more harmony in the United squad if the five-time Ballon d’Or winner leaves this summer.
Ronaldo has been linked with numerous clubs this summer, like Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Sporting CP.
Also Serie A side, Napoli have also entered the race and are pushing to make the transfer before the window slams shut in a couple of days. Napoli are looking to make a loan offer for Ronaldo due to time constraints.
Ronaldo has made an underwhelming start to his 2022-23 season. The 37-year-old forward has started just once in four games and is yet to open his account.
Manager, Erik Ten Hag has preferred to play with a more energetic attack comprising Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.
Erik ten Hag reiterated his desire to keep Ronaldo after United’s 1-0 win over Southampton on Saturday, when the five-time Ballon d’Or winner came off the bench and played 22 minutes.
‘We played with him,’ Ten Hag said. ‘So we want him to stay. That is what we want. I hope so.’