Manchester United can sign ideal Cristiano Ronaldo replacement next year

The prospect of Manchester United starting the 2022/23 Premier League campaign without Cristiano Ronaldo is not something that is likely to have crossed the minds of too many United supporters until recently.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner — who is yet to report back for pre-season training — spoke glowingly about Erik ten Hag before last season had even finished, outlining how excited he was to start working with the highly-rated Dutchman. Less than two months on, Ronaldo wants to leave Old Trafford, leaving United in a perilous position with around a month until the new season starts.

As reported by the Manchester Evening News earlier this week, the 37-year-old is disappointed by United's slow start to the summer transfer window and is "upset" by the fact that the squad has been forced to accept a 25 per cent reduction in their salaries. He is also desperate to play Champions League football following United's failure to qualify for the competition this forthcoming season.

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With that said, you can understand Ronaldo's stance; he is one of the greatest players of all-time and wants to play in Europe's premier club competition, rubbing shoulders with the game's elite. United aren't able to give Ronaldo that luxury. Not this coming season, anyway.

Although United are remaining defiant in their stance over his future, insisting he is not for sale, the prospect of United losing Ronaldo this summer is a worry; not only would they be losing their star attraction, but they would also be losing their only reputable goal scorer. He found the net on 24 occasions last season and United have won just one game that he has not