Manchester United Rumors: Manager To Consider Moving On From Ronaldo Next Season

Widely considered as one of the greatest to play the game, Cristiano Ronaldo might not be leading Manchester United’s offense next season according to manager Ralf Rangnick.

The Manchester Evening News reported the surprising development at Old Trafford as sources close to the situation have said that Rangnick’s “patience is wearing thin with Ronaldo”.

The Portuguese superstar has failed to make an impact on the goal-scoring end as he has only had one goal to his name in 10 appearances since the calendar turned to 2022.

That lone goal took place in their game against Brighton and Hove Albion back last February 15.

Rangnick is also believed to be holding on to Ronaldo at the lead forward position due to Edinson Cavani dealing with a groin problem, while 24-year-old Marcus Rashford is struggling with his form and has only scored five goals in nearly five months.

Whether Manchester United fans would be happy to admit it or not, the 37-year-old Ronaldo has been their best option at forward this season thanks to his wealth of experience and ability to score with ease.

Although the latter part has taken a major hit thus far into 2022, Ronaldo remains their most potent scoring threat in general.

Anthony Elanga is turning out to be a major piece for the Red Devils moving forward because of his knowledge of the game, but he is better off operating as a winger than a forward.

Manchester United fans had been imploring their team to sign a forward and a central defensive midfielder during the January transfer window, but the club had more departures than arrivals which caused much dismay to the fanbase.

As for who they could target in the summer transfer to replace Ronaldo, they have been linked with heavily-touted Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

Similar to a younger, more athletic Ronaldo, the 23-year-old Nigerian is a goal-scoring machine that has a high motor that allows him to pick off errant passes and turn them into scoring opportunities.

Bringing in Osimhen to a Rangnick-led offense would surely push Manchester United’s ability to pressure their opponents into making mistakes and inevitably win more games.

Their most recent match against Watford this past Friday, February 25 had the Red Devils attempting a total of 22 shots with three of them on-target, possibly the best performance they have had this season without scoring a goal.

This kind of high-pressure football has been something that Rangnick has been preaching about since he signed on as interim manager, and while Ronaldo played a big role against Watford, he has had issues staying onside for most of those opportunities.

Manchester United takes the field against cross-town rival Manchester City in the famed “Manchester Derby” on Sunday, March 6 as the Red Devils look to make a late push to the top of the English Premier League.