Manchester United are about to lose their ideal Cristiano Ronaldo replacement to PSG

The timing of Cristiano Ronaldo expressing a desire to leave Manchester United couldn't have been much worse for the club, arriving 48 hours before Erik ten Hag welcomed the rest of his squad back to Carrington and deep into a transfer window that had been well planned.

United had spent much of May and June planning their new recruits under Ten Hag, with Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong top of the list. A deal to sign Tyrell Malacia has been completed, Christian Eriksen is close to signing and De Jong and Lisandro Martinez could follow.

But Ronaldo has thrown a spanner in the works. If the 37-year-old pushes for an exit then it will leave Ten Hag with a hole in his attack where there was previously a player with more than 800 career goals to his name.

READ MORE: United's Dybala transfer stance amid Ronaldo absence

Replacing that in a window where significant funds are already committed will be extremely difficult. With a bit more warning United might have been able to incorporate a striker into their plans, although Erling Haaland would still have joined Manchester City and Darwin Nunez would still have gone to Liverpool.

Now it is a question of who is left. Paulo Dybala is available on a free transfer but there have been no talks over a deal. He is 28, was generally excellent at Juventus and he's been scouted by United previously, although his wage demands scuppered a move in 2019.

There is another Serie A option, however, in Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca. The 23-year-old doesn't have a huge profile outside his home country, although he was linked with Arsenal earlier in the window.

He has been something of a late developer for the modern game, having had spells in the academies of Roma and PSV