Manchester United have trump card vs Cristiano Ronaldo because of his ultimate aim

Manchester United had hoped their showdown talks with Cristiano Ronaldo would change his mind about his future at the club, instead all they did was reiterate his desire to leave.

That Ronaldo arrived at Carrington accompanied by agent Jorge Mendes on Tuesday proved that he meant business, and that his representative would be their to argue his case for a transfer this summer.

Ronaldo, 37, wants to leave because he has a desire to spend his final few seasons playing in the Champions League, a competition he still sets the standard in and lit up with six goals in six appearances last season.

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United’s failure to finish in the top four has not only cost their star striker the chance to play in the club competition he cherishes most, but it has also led to a salary reduction of 25 per cent, a clause triggered in his contract after their sixth-place finish.

One of those situations would be bad enough, but for them both to occur at the same time is unacceptable on the player’s part, and he doesn’t think he should be the one punished when he saved the side so often last season.

In a strange way it is testament to Ronaldo’s extremely high standards that he doesn’t want to waste another precious year of his career at a side so unpredictable, though his desire to leave and the way he has gone about it certainly hasn’t gone done well with fans.

But this is a man who likened himself to ‘a slave’ when he pushed to leave United for Real Madrid in 2008, and will always put his own personal success ahead that of the teams he plays in. His personality flaws have always been waved away as evidence of his desire to win, rather than criticism of his