Manchester United might take Cristiano Ronaldo risk because of transfer problems

With Darwin Nunez joining Liverpool and Erling Haaland joining Manchester City, the options in an already sparse striker market have gotten even thinner this summer. Antony only have so much money to complete a major overhaul of their squad this summer so there will have to be some compromises.

But even cheaper options, like Gianluca Scamacca, are being snapped up by Champions League clubs, with DiMarzio reporting that the Italian striker is set to join Paris Saint-Germain as part of the French club's own rebuild. This leaves United and Erik ten Hag with limited, and very expensive, options.

So the question on many United fans' lips right now is, can Cristiano Ronaldo still do it? The Portuguese forward was the club's top scorer this past season with 24 goals in all competitions, with only Bruno Fernandes joining him in double figures with 10, but there were large parts of the season — especially under Ralf Rangnick — when Ronaldo did not score at all.

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No one is expecting Ten Hag to compete with City and Liverpool in his first season, but in his pursuit of a top-four finish, a regular goalscorer will be necessary. Tottenham Hotspur have Harry Kane and Golden Boot winner Heung Min-Son, while Chelsea and Arsenal are expected to invest heavily in the forward area.

At 37, Ronaldo is in the twilight of his career, even if he is chasing the sunset with every bit of his fitness and footballing ability. But a heavily truncated season, thanks to the World Cup in November and December, could prove a step too far for United's famous number seven.

So what do United do? Do they go all-in on a forward who will likely act as