Manchester United must avoid falling into familiar transfer trap amid Cristiano Ronaldo saga

Even after his vital winner against Everton last week, where he grabbed his 700th club goal, speculation was still rife about the future of Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo. It has certainly not been the start to the campaign that the player would have wanted, but he has shown signs in recent weeks of still being able to have a positive impact on this team.

The Portuguese veteran expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford in the summer, with the Real Madrid legend desperate to play Champions League football. Evidently, a move failed to materialise and the 37-year-old remained at United.

It became quite clear, quite quickly, that the striker was not going to be given a prominent role by manager Erik ten Hag. Ronaldo has started just five games this campaign, with just one of said starts coming in the Premier League. After playing such an important role last term, the frontman will be frustrated by his lack of game time so far.

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Ronaldo, who has scored just two goals this season, is likely to leave United next year. Considering the likelihood of his departure and the injury troubles Anthony Martial is experiencing, United will be looking to strengthen in the forward area next year.

The club have been linked with numerous strikers over the past few years, and some names just never appear to go away - take Joao Felix, for example.

According to reports in Spain, Felix is growing increasingly unsettled at Atletico Madrid and is currently taking steps to try to secure a move away from Spain. As per Marca, his relationship with Diego Simeone reached breaking point when the Argentine left him as an unused substitute in Wednesday's