Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United urged to sell forward Cristiano Ronaldo by ex-Liverpool star Danny Murphy
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, former Liverpool star Danny Murphy urged Manchester United to sell star forward Cristiano Ronaldo to bring about a radical change at the club and bring success.
Ronaldo completed a sensational comeback to the Theatre of Dreams the previous summer, sealing a return to the side where he made his name in world football. However, his second debut at the club has not gone according to plan, with the forward looking out of form at times.
Murphy, who won the FA Cup with Liverpool, said that something radical needs to change at Old Trafford to get them back to where they were, and that important players like Ronaldo may need to be sold.
“Something radical needs to change at Manchester United even if it means important players like Cristiano Ronaldo being sold.”
Ronaldo was last seen in the second leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League, unable to help his side progress to the quarterfinals of the competition as they were beaten 1-0 by Atletico Madrid at home after securing a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the tie.
“Former glories”
After the Atletico loss, Ronaldo is now destined to end his first season back at United without winning silverware, which is unheard of for the Portugal skipper. A serial winner, the forward has won 5 UCL titles in the past, but crashed out before making the quarterfinals this season.
Murphy said that for the glory days to return to Manchester, the Red Devils need players who can press and compete for almost all matches in a season, which Ronaldo was unable to do in his opinion.
“For former glories to return to Old Trafford, United’s players need to press and compete for 60 matches a season in addition to the ability they possess. I can’t see Ronaldo being part of that.
At 37, Ronaldo is a veteran in the team and is part of one of the Premier League’s oldest striker duos, alongside 35-year-old Edinson Cavani. However, the ex-Real Madrid man has been at his physical best, hardly missing games through injury, unlike Cavani.
He has only gotten better with age, and this season as well, he hit the ground running at Old Trafford in the earlier half of the campaign, before he went through a goal drought in 2022. This was broken via a fantastic hat-trick that the striker scored against Tottenham Hotspur, before he blanked against Atletico.
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Although he was not once the deadly player he was in the past, there is no doubt that having Ronaldo in the team makes us more likely to score goals and finish chances. Known to be one of the world’s best finishers, he is undoubtedly an asset to have in the squad.
Whether or not he remains at United is yet to be seen beyond the summer, with the star missing out on silverware this term. However, a new permanent manager and a new era is being ushered in next campaign, and Ronaldo would undoubtedly add some shine to that period if he sticks around.
