Ralf Rangnick admits Manchester United must gauge Cristiano Ronaldo's intentions before deciding on his future.
Ronaldo, 37, scored his 23rd club goal of the season against Chelsea, the same amount he ended with in 2006-07 for United when he turned 23.
The Portuguese is contracted to United until 2023 with the option of an additional year but the five-times Champions League winner faces a season in the Europa League, the Europa Conference League or no European football.
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Ronaldo has played in the Champions League in 20 straight seasons and United's inevitable failure to qualify for the competition automatically casts doubt on Ronaldo's future at the club. Interim manager Rangnick is yet to speak with Erik ten Hag about his intentions for Ronaldo, who has not clarified if he will remain at United for a second season.
"This is something that we should speak between us," Rangnick said, "Erik [ten Hag] and the board and myself. Cristiano has another year of contract, it is also important to see and find out what he wants to do, if he wants to stay.
"But, again, I haven't been able to speak with Erik so far and therefore, it doesn't make sense to speak about that right now.
"He also showed a good performance when Chelsea were in possession. He helped out a lot in the second-half defensively. I already told you in one of the press conferences a few weeks ago there has to be a focus on bringing in a couple of new strikers, this is for sure."
United have to win their final three games to match the points tally of 64 they ended with in the David Moyes season of 2013-14. United have not won three successive matches all season.
"It was overall, a difficult season," Rangnick noted. "We could have quite a few more points, I wouldn’t say easily but realistically we should have more points. As I told you, when we dropped out of the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, it was a massive blow with regard to not only confidence but also energy in the team.
"And that is why it is important we showed a reaction today in the second-half and got at least a point against one of the best three teams in England and now it's about finishing the season on the best possible note."
