Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been told he has 'disappointed' the Old Trafford faithful by demanding to leave the club a year before his Red Devils contract expires.
The 37-year-old is thought to have informed club officials he wants out before the Erik ten Hag reign can properly take shape due to Ronaldo's feeling that the club have failed to match his level of ambition in the transfer market so far. The window has been open for just under a month and United have purchased just one player - Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord.
The month of June passed United without a single new player arriving, which marked the first time this has happened since under Sir Alex Ferguson in June 2010. The stark difference between then and now is just how far the Red Devils have fallen as they look to bounce back from their worst campaign of the Premier League era.
Frenkie de Jong, Christian Eriksen, Antony and Lisandro Martinez have all been linked with moves to the red half of Manchester but with none of them officially unveiled yet, Ronaldo's patience has seemingly worn out. While some may understand his frustration, former Premier League star-turned-pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has very little sympathy for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"I'm not surprised one bit [by Ronaldo's desire to leave], so poor last season," Agbonlahor told talkSPORT. "Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't want to play in the Europa League. The last few years of his career, he wants to play in the Champions League.
"But for me the biggest disappointment if I was a Manchester United fan would be, Ronaldo doesn't care about Manchester United for me, he cares about Ronaldo. He wants to play Champions League, he wants to score more Champions League goals, he wants to win more titles. Manchester United are a million miles away from any of that.
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"So he just cares about Ronaldo, he doesn't care about Manchester United. They need him, they need Ronaldo, Manchester United need him, and he wants to jump ship, he doesn't want to be there."
Ronaldo could further damage his once stellar relationship with the United fanbase if he goes through with a shock transfer to a fellow Premier League rival in Chelsea. Talk of a Stamford Bridge switch has come about after new Blues owner Todd Boehly met with the United star's agent Jorge Mendes.
During the meeting between the two, Boehly is thought to have raised the idea of a stunning move for Ronaldo which would rock the Old Trafford hierarchy to their core. As things stand, the club are standing firm in their stance that Ronaldo is not for sale.
However, there are mounting fears from United officials Ronaldo will snub his contractual obligations and not attend the upcoming pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia after so far failing to report for pre-season training.
