Manchester United chief J ohn Murtough’s latest statement on the club’s January transfer window plans suggests that Cristiano Ronaldo ’s future still remains at Old Trafford.
After being banished from first team training and Saturday’s match with Chelsea, the Portuguese international had showdown talks with manager Erik ten Hag on Tuesday, which presumably went well given that he quickly returned to training with the rest of his teammates on the same day.
The 37-year-old now looks destined to be reintegrated into the United setup, a reality which aligns with Murtough's prediction of a quiet window at the start of 2023.
The Red Devils backed Ten Hag with a record level of investment of over £220million in the summer with six new players added to their first-team squad ahead of the Dutchman’s first season in charge - which was more than initially intended.
Primary focus is now on next summer rather than in January as big plans continue to develop and, as a result, Murtough has claimed that United fans should not expect much, if any, movement at the start of next year.
Speaking at last month’s United fans' forum, Murtough said, as per the Manchester Evening News: “Ultimately, we made a record level of investment for a single window, reflecting the conditions in the market, but also our commitment to supporting the manager.
“We always said that reshaping the squad would take more than a window and we’re already working with Erik on the next steps in that process, with a focus on next summer and beyond. But it’s important to recognise that investment must always be sustainable, meaning that what we spend on players must be supported by revenues over the long-term.
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“We ended the summer slightly ahead of where we expected to be in terms of the number of players brought in, so we don’t anticipate the same level of activity in future windows, although we will continue to strengthen.”
As a result, it can be assumed that if there will be no incomings throughout January, then there will be very few outgoings in order to avoid weakening the team with no replacements lined up.
Murtough's admission goes a long way to hint that Ronaldo’s immediate future may well lie at Old Trafford until at least next summer. That's despite the fact that he was desperate to leave over the summer, before severely damaging his Old Trafford legacy following his antics against Tottenham last week.
But if a quiet January is to ensue, then United are all but left with no choice but to try and keep Ronaldo at the club. If he leaves, Ten Hag will have only Marcus Rashford, who is more suited on the wing, and an injury-ravaged Anthony Martial as his striking options.
That simply won’t do for a side who are already struggling for goals while trying to re-establish themselves in the Premier League ’s top four. Ten Hag certainly won’t sanction a sale or a contract termination for Ronaldo if it means he is left short on numbers and quality in attack.
If - like Murtough proposed - United are not prepared to spend extra money on a replacement in January, then it leaves them with no other choice but to reinstate the veteran forward into the side.
