Jamie Carragher believes the Manchester United dressing room and new manager Erik ten Hag are secretly hoping that Cristiano Ronaldo finds a way to get his wish of leaving.
The Liverpool legend warned the Red Devils about Ronaldo's negative impact at Old Trafford long before his bombshell transfer request, and now thinks his departure this summer could be a blessing disguise. Carragher claimed: " I always thought he was a bizarre signing. I always felt this situation would come, even if Ronaldo did great."
"He signed a two-year deal plus another year, which I couldn't believe, and he's never going to play second fiddle to anyone but as players at a certain stage in your career we all know that you're not the same player, and his career has gone on longer because he's such a great professional.
Speaking on the Overlap, in partnership with Sky Bet , he added: "But the fact he's now 37, 38 this season, he's not the same player. He's still a great goal scorer but he's not the same player.
"No other club in Europe at this moment wants him, I might be wrong. But it doesn't look like United can get him out, so at the moment other club don't want him. And I think if you asked Ten Hag, I don't think he wants him. And I'm not quite sure the dressing room at Manchester United would want Cristiano Ronaldo right now."
Gary Neville, who was Ronaldo's captain throughout the entirety of first spell in Manchester, wants to see the situation - which continues to engulf Old Trafford and mar the new season - resolved swiftly. The former Red Devils captain also reckons that the United hierarchy and Ten Hag shouldn't be standing in the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's way.
"Let me be really clear, Ronaldo's achievements in football go beyond anything that anybody could ever wish for and imagine," Neville began.
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"He'll go down in the top players of all time and always will be, and what happens this summer at Manchester United will be forgotten about in 20 years. But's unpalatable for me to watch, as an ex-Manchester United captain, an ex-Manchester United senior player, and thinking that at this moment in time the star player in the dressing room is playing up.
"It happened at times over the last few years where you had [Paul] Pogba 's agent – not necessarily Pogba all the time but his agent – always playing up with the club. You can't have your star player in a club running the shop. You cannot have it. So when Sir Alex Ferguson, in the past, moved players on it was because that player needed to be moved on.
"I know Manchester United fans, but if Ronaldo wants to leave, Manchester United - in my mind - should facilitate that."
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