Manchester United are planning to offload Anthony Martial, Alex Telles, Brandon Williams, Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe this summer. What they did not negotiate, however, is that Ronaldo wants to take his time in his second spell with the Red Devils after just one year. News emerged at the weekend that the 37-year-old was willing to leave United behind for a club playing in the Champions League, leading to links with the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich. However, the Portugal international is also concerned that United cannot match his own ambitions as he enters the twilight years of his career. It’s a worrying situation at Old Trafford, particularly as the Ten Hag prepares to begin his reign. And it also has echoes of when Rooney wanted out of the club in 2010 when Ferguson was in charge. Transfers Manchester United: Erik ten Hag already has his own Darwin Nunez At the time, United had narrowly missed out on winning the title from Chelsea the previous year. They pushed the Blues all the way despite losing Ronaldo to Real Madrid and seeing Carlos Tevez move to Manchester City the previous summer. But United, for all their interest in Franck Ribery, Samuel Eto’o and Carine Benzema, had an incredible window at the time. They brought in Gabriel Obertan, Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia – despite securing £80m from Ronaldo’s move to Spain. And, after missing out on the title to Chelsea in 2010, they went on to sign Bebe, Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling. It wasn’t exactly the transfer job Rooney was hoping for. DON’T MISS OUT Man Utd have just seven players worth keeping under Erik ten Hag Three players want to join Man Utd this summer Why Eriksen could be Manchester United’s smokescreen This then led to him asking to leave United in October of that year, releasing a statement explaining the club’s lack of ambition behind his decision. “I met with David Gill last week and he didn’t give me any of the assurances I was looking for about the squad going forward,” he said. “Then I told him I will not sign a new contract. “I was interested to hear what Sir Alex had to say yesterday and was surprised by some of it. “It is absolutely true, as he said, that my agent and I had several meetings with the club about a new contract. “During those meetings in August I sought reassurances about the club’s continued ability to attract the world’s top players. Manchester United’s fixtures: When Erik ten Hag’s side face every Premier League team “I have never had anything but absolute respect for MUFC. How could I not have given his fantastic history and especially the last six years in which I have been fortunate enough to play a part? “For me it’s about winning trophies – as the club has always done under Sir Alex. That’s why I think the questions I asked were justified. “Despite recent difficulties, I know I will always owe Sir Alex Ferguson a huge debt. He is a great manager and mentor who has helped and supported me since the day he took me from Everton when I was just 18. “For the sake of Manchester United, I wish he could go on forever because he is unique and a genius.” Rooney ended up staying after a reversal. But the stark truth is that, 12 years on, history is repeating itself with Ronaldo. Want the latest football news? Join our brand new Facebook group by clicking here The Portugal international remains as hungry as ever to win trophies, which was not the case last year as the club finished sixth in the Premier League table. And with United enduring a slow summer so far, it seems his current position is justified. The Red Devils are interested in a number of players but, despite this, they are worryingly slow to add to their squad. It is a damning, disturbing indictment of where United are that the biggest player in world football is questioning the ambitions of the biggest club in the land. And if Ronaldo leaves, there is a line of thinking that he will have a better chance of getting the trophies he craves.
