Cristiano Ronaldo was overruled by Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag in his demands to sign a central striker this summer.
The Portuguese star wants to leave United just one year after his return to Old Trafford after having a change in heart over his future at the club. It comes as Ronaldo's outlined transfer demand was not fulfilled this summer with the 37-year-old subsequently plotting a departure.
Edinson Cavani was among a glut of first-team exits from the club this summer – hastening the need to bring in a new forward. However, Darwin Nunez, who had been strongly linked to United prior to the transfer window opening, opted to join Liverpool.
Reports back in March explained that Ronaldo decided to remain at United to fulfil the second year of his contract, and he had already outlined to the club what sort of player they should sign for the forthcoming campaign. As reported by The Athletic, the 37-year-old's request was for the Red Devils to sign a player that would allow them to make a tactical tweak and get the best out of the superstar – with the characteristics of Nunez believed to be ideal to fit the role.
Ronaldo wants to play alongside another striker this season for United – after Cavani exited the club as a free agent. That left the squad notably light on attacking players, especially with Ronaldo unlikely to continue his stint at Old Trafford beyond 2023. Marcus Rashford and Antony Martial are the only other senior forwards in the squad, and both prefer playing from the left rather than centrally.
Nunez bagged an impressive 34 goals in all competitions last term – including in both legs of their European clash against Liverpool at the quarter-final stage, taking his goal tally in the competition to six for last season.
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Ten Hag witnessed Nunez first hand as the striker's biggest goal came in the Round of 16 win over Ten Hag's Ajax, before scoring in both legs of the quarter-final against Liverpool – in which Benfica were defeated 6-4 on aggregate. The striker also notably impacted the group stage victory over Barcelona, where the striker bagged a brace in the 3-0 win over the Catalan side.
Not only did United miss out on signing Nunez, but they are yet to bolster their attacking ranks this summer. The only signings to date have been defenders Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez, along with midfielder Christian Eriksen. Signing a new striker along with Ronaldo would mean two starting strikers, but Ten Hag has a preference for wide forwards in a hybrid 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 formation.
Ten Hag wants Antony in his ideal XI at Old Trafford and the Brazilian forward wants to be reunited with his former coach having put pressure on Ajax to consider allowing him to join the Red Devils in this summer window. However, Ajax's valuation of the player makes any move this summer unrealistic without serious compromise.
After a Premier League opening day loss to Brighton, Ten Hag was tight-lipped when asked to shed light on United's plans to bolster their forward line in the final three weeks of summer transfer window. "I don't go into names because I think, in this pre-season, 250 players are involved or linked to Man United," the former Ajax manager told reporters post-match. "We have two strikers, maybe a third one with [Marcus] Rashford as well, you could see him as a striker.
"He had a really good pre-season on the left side and also today had two really good chances, coming in from the left side, so I think it was the right decision to do it like this. But we didn't have the typical nine. He was not available today."
