The Cristiano Ronaldo Conundrum at Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to tarnish his legacy at Old Trafford.

When he was re-signed by United in the summer of 2021, there was widespread rejoicing among United fans, who were delighted that he was snatched from under the noses of their rivals City, and who hoped that he could be the X factor that would help them mount a serious league title challenge again.

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It did not work out that way. The team lost their way under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, until he was sacked, and then was allowed to drift under his successor Ralf Rangnick, whose authority seemed undermined by his stature as interim coach.

Ronaldo did end the season as their top scorer, but a sixth-place finish and Europa League football was not something he was used to, or seemingly prepared to accept.

He made serious attempts to try and move away from the club, hoping to find somewhere that would offer him the chance to play Champions League football again, but his high wages and the fact that he is now 37 years old meant that there was a lack of suitors.

Meanwhile, the club had appointed Erik ten Hag of Ajax as their new manager, a man whose high energy pressing style of football seems the antithesis of what post prime Ronaldo wants to be playing.

The pair seems to have got off on the wrong foot from the start when Ronaldo returned late for pre-season training, and, after he was benched for a pre-season friendly with Rayo Vallecano, he was one of several players who did not bother to wait until the final whistle before leaving the ground.

He did start the opening two games of the season against Brighton and Brentford, but in the wake of two embarrassing defeats, was benched as ten Hag began to mould his team according to his wishes.

Since then he has been a peripheral figure at Old Trafford, scoring just the one goal in the Europa League, and more often than not starting off the bench.

The latest flare-up came up on Wednesday night in the Premier League match against Tottenham at Old Trafford. Again the Portuguese international started on the bench and sat stony-faced as United took a two goal lead against Antonio Conte’s men.

In a bid to help run down the clock, ten Hag then asked Ronaldo to come on as a late substitute. Not only did he refuse, but he stormed off down the tunnel whilst the game was still in progress.

In doing so, he made sure the headlines were all about him, taking some of the gloss on what had been one of United’s best performances of the season.

Ronaldo has since apologised, saying that it was just a moment of frustration, but ten Hag has taken action. He has left him out of the squad to face Chelsea this weekend, and he has been also fined heavily.

What happens now though is the issue for both the club and the player.

The Portuguese international is under contract until the end of the season and remains the club’s highest paid player, earning close to £385,000 a week. He also has an enormous commercial value to the club because of the shirt sales and merchandise that bear his CR7 branding.

Whilst he has made clear that he would like to leave the club in January, the list of potential takers is likely to be even smaller. It is reported that he was offered the opportunity to join a Saudi Arabian club in the summer but turned that down.

Could he now be forced to reconsider, or lower his wage demands considerably, just to be able to resume his playing career?

Ten Hag, meanwhile, faces his own issue. Can he tolerate having somebody in his playing squad who continues to undermine his authority?

If United are looking for a solution, they could perhaps take a leaf out of the book of Arsenal, who faced a similar situation with Mesut Ozil, who began to create issues when he was left out of the team under Mikel Arteta.

In that case, the Gunners acted decisively. Determining that Ozil was a bad influence at the club and was a poor effect on the dressing room, especially with the younger players, they effectively paid up his contract and forced him out of the club. Much the same thing happened with striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.

These actions may have cost the North London club a lot in monetary terms, but the end result has been a net positive for them. Arteta’s authority has been enhanced, and team spirit and morale are the better for it.

That suggests that one solution would be for United to pay up what he is due in his contract and tell him to find a new club.

Some older fans believe that Ronaldo would never have acted this way when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, and would hope that the Scot, who is still a director at the club, could have a quiet word with him and pull him into line.

However, that is unlikely to work, even if Ferguson had any real authority at the club, which is doubtful.

For the next few weeks, Ronaldo will be content to bide his time, knowing that he can escape it all for a while when he leaves for the World Cup with Portugal, where his status as captain and team leader remains undiminished by what is happening to him in club football.

That, though, is just putting off what seems like an inevitable decision for both player and club in January.

It seems best for all parties that he leaves the club in January, and it just depends on what and whose terms.

The ideal solution would be for him to find a club where he can play Champions League football, and still earn decent wages. If that proves impossible, then United may be forced to come up with some sort of compensation package for him.

The worst outcome, if he were to remain in Manchester until the end of his contract, is that he barely plays and effectively becomes an outcast. For the sake of all concerned that should be avoided.