Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has claimed that United should allow last season’s top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the club this summer.
Ronaldo has been at the heart of a weeks-long transfer saga, with the 37-year-old desperate to play Champions League football this season however, United are yet to receive a serious offer for the striker.
The Portugal international has been linked with a move to Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, though Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn and Atletico president Enrique Cerezo have denied any potential move for Ronaldo.
Speaking to the Times, Rooney said: “I think Manchester United should let Cristiano Ronaldo go.
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“It’s not that Ronaldo can’t play in a Ten Hag team. He can play in any team. But my personal view is that United aren’t ready to challenge for the title now so the aim has to be to build a team that can win the league in the next three to four years, and you have to plan for that.”
The central striker position is one that United have neglected for a number of years, with Ronaldo another stopgap to the position, as was Radamel Falcao, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Odion Ighalo, and Edinson Cavani.
Romelu Lukaku was the last striker United invested heavily in, signing the then 24-year-old from Everton for a fee of £75 million, though that transfer failed to workout, with Lukaku then allowed to leave the club in 2019, moving to Inter Milan for £74 million where he helped I Nerazzurri win their first Serie A title for 11 years.
Lukaku moved back to England last summer, as Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea forked out a record breaking £97 million for the Belgian, though Lukaku moved back to Inter on loan this season, showing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to allow the 29-year-old to leave wasn’t all negative.
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Current DC United manager Rooney also believes his former club should target a younger striker.
“If the reports are true that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave the club, then Manchester United should allow him to go and get a No.9 in who is going to be there for the next three or four years, and you have to plan for that,” said Rooney.
Over the last two weeks, United have shown an interest in upcoming RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Šeśko, with football director John Murtough meeting the players agent Elvis Basanovic regarding a move to Old Trafford.
According to reports, Šeśko is valued at around £42 million by the Austrian club.
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United’s shortlist for attacking options haven’t just stopped at the 19-year-old striker however, with Ajax winger Antony heavily linked with the club earlier on in the window.
One new name that was reported on Saturday by Simon Mullock was Cody Gakpo.
The versatile forward found the net 12 times in the Eredivisie last campaign, providing 13 assists in 23 games for PSV Eindhoven.
Wayne Rooney scored 253 goals for Manchester United across his career, and formed a formidable partnership with Ronaldo when they played together, winning multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League in 2008, as well as a whole host of other cups and individual awards.
Topics: Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Erik Ten Hag, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku