An exit never came to fruition, but The Telegraph claim that Ronaldo will be allowed to depart during the next transfer window should a suitable offer come in.
Ronaldo celebrates his only goal of 2022/23, a penalty in last month's Europa League win over FC Sheriff (Image credit: Oleg Bilsagaev/Getty Images)
Ronaldo re-joined United from Juventus in August last year, 12 years after leaving Old Trafford for Real Madrid.
But his second spell at the club where he first made a name for himself the best part of two decades ago has often been less than harmonious. Despite scoring a squad-high 24 goals in all competitions last season, many have argued that Ronaldo has hindered the overall performance of the team.
Having finished as runners-up to Manchester City in 2020/21, United dropped to sixth in the Premier League last term under Ralf Rangnick – who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in December.
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Ronaldo watches on from the bench during Sunday's Manchester derby (Image credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
After an abysmal start to 2022/23 under new manager Erik ten Hag, United kickstarted their season with victory over Liverpool, sparking a four-match winning run – with Ronaldo, who has made only one league start this term, coming on as a substitute in each game.
But Sunday's 6-3 derby humiliation away to Manchester City showed how far they still have to go in order to compete for top honours again. During the game at the Etihad Stadium, Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure as he was left on the bench.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
