BOLASIAR - What can Cristiano Ronaldo do?The future of Man United forward will be a big decision for him.Cristiano Ronaldo has stated that he is not looking to leave the club at this time. While he will be playing for Portugal at the World Cup in November, he also wants to play in the European Championship in Germany in the summer of 2024.
At the end of his 22nd season as a top-flight professional, Ronaldo will be 39. There is a debate about where his club career will take him next, but his ability to keep fit and take care of his body is not in question, as he has averaged around 50 games a season for club and country since he was a teenager.
He wanted to leave Manchester United in the summer because he wanted to keep playing at the top for as long as possible and find regular Champions League football elsewhere. Despite not moving this summer, there are question marks over his future and what his next move in football will be.
Option 1: He is expected to leave Manchester United in January.
In the summer, it was decided that he would continue playing in the competition in which he is the all-time top scorer, despite the fact that Manchester United did not qualify for the group stage. He faced a fight to win a place in the starting lineup after flirtations with Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli and Atletico Madrid came to nothing. He made his Europa League debut against Real Sociedad earlier this month.
The issue for Ronaldo, however, is that not only is he not playing in the Champions League, he's not even playing regularly anymore. He has only started one Premier League game this season and it's unlikely that he will start the Manchester derby against Manchester City in October if either Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial are healthy enough to play after the international break. 2.
With Ronaldo having not played a lot of football recently, there is a possibility that he may look to leave in January. He could, theoretically, find a club who have already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League, and give himself another chance to add to his five titles. However, if United were to allow him to leave in January, a move would be possible. The club have already distanced themselves from making any significant signings in the next window, as they don't have many options at centre-forward.
Option 2: He is set to leave Man United next summer.
This break would give him the chance to pick a club that would give him the best chance of winning more silverware and getting ready for the Euros in 2024.
From January 23, 2023, he can start negotiations with clubs ahead of a possible free transfer at the end of the season after signing an initial two-year contract.
His services were in high demand this summer, but he opted to stay at United. That could easily change, however. Additionally, if Ronaldo abandons his hope of playing in the Champions League again, it will open the possibility of a move away from Europe.
Sources told ESPN in the summer that he wasn't ready to consider a move to the Middle East, despite being made a lucrative offer. Strong interest from Saudi Arabia was reported, but he was not ready to move to the Middle East.
Option 3: He renews his contract at Old Trafford.
United has never ruled out the possibility of selling De GEA, and in the summer Ten Hag said it was a possibility. Ronaldo signed a two-year contract with the option for a third in 2021, extending his deal to 2024.
It seemed unlikely that Ronaldo would stay at the club for another year, considering the summer, but sources say he has been very committed and motivated since the transfer window closed.
If United were to have a successful season and particularly if they were to immediately get back into the Champions League, he might feel that Old Trafford is the right place for him after all.
source and pict: espn.com