Before Cristiano Ronaldo sat down for a friendly chat with Piers Morgan and lit a grenade under Manchester United's carefully constructed transfer plans, the club was already preparing for a transfer tug-of-war the following summer when it came to the signing of a ready-made striker. This was before Ronaldo's comments about his desire to play for Manchester United.
United briefly considered accelerating their search for a striker by bringing it forward to the summer transfer window of this year out of fear of the competition they will face in 2023. Some recruitment chiefs at Old Trafford calculated that several of Europe's biggest clubs could also be on the market for a No. 9 position. In the modern game, they are as valuable as gold dust, which results in an even more cutthroat level of competition. This past summer, Manchester City hit the jackpot by signing Erling Haaland, while Liverpool had to pay top dollar to secure the services of Darwin Nunez. It is unlikely that any club will get first dibs on a forward who could cost more than one hundred million pounds, so it is possible that Victor Osimhen will be one of the most sought-after players in 2023. As a result of United's decision to prioritize the high-priced signings of Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, and Antony during this summer's transfer window, the club was aware that they were delaying the inevitable in terms of acquiring a striker. Now, there is no longer any room for them to make any more mistakes.
After his interview with Morgan was leaked on Sunday night, it is inconceivable that Ronaldo will ever play for United again. It is impossible to imagine Ronaldo ever playing for United again. The entirety of the interview will be made public later on this week, but the 37-year-old player has already claimed that Manchester United committed "betrayal" and that he does not respect his manager. There is no possible way to turn back now.
In a week, when the World Cup kicks off, the bombshell interview will be the topic of conversation throughout the football world. However, beyond the immediate here and now of what else he had to say and how United reacts, there are problems ahead for the club.
Ronaldo has only scored three goals so far this season, but his manager, Ten Hag, has given him a fair amount of leeway to make up for his lack of regular contributions to the team's cause. After he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham, he was cut from the squad for the following game. Despite this, he started the next four games despite the fact that the Dutchman was lacking options in the forward position.
Since the last few days of the preseason, it has been abundantly clear that there is contention within this relationship. United are a better team without Ronaldo, who has been difficult to manage, and Ten Hag's squad is short of central strikers; however, United are a better team overall when Ronaldo is not on the field.
Ten Hag is best served by selecting Anthony Martial, and the fact that he has recently returned to full fitness is a significant plus. Concerning, though, are the injuries that have limited him to just seven total appearances over the course of his career. United cannot mount a challenge on all four fronts with only one striker in their roster, especially considering how difficult it has been for him to maintain his fitness this year.
In light of this, Manchester United will have to reevaluate their budgetary priorities in the event that Ronaldo leaves the club before January. Since it is obviously impossible for them to acquire the striker of elite caliber in the middle of the season, they will have to get creative in their search for short-term answers to their problems.
They will hope that indicates going slightly more upmarket than an Odion Ighalo-style loan deal, especially considering that a top-four finish is clearly within Ten Hag's grasp for the remainder of this season.
