Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Cristiano Ronaldo to have bit-part role under Erik ten Hag, says former player; Toni Kroos opens up on failed move to Old Trafford, and more - 4 May 2022
Manchester United will travel to the Amex Stadium on Saturday to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League. The Red Devils are sixth in the Premier League table with two games left to play.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Cristiano Ronaldo might have to accept a reduced role under new manager Erik ten Hag next season. Elsewhere, Toni Kroos has opened up on his failed move to Old Trafford.
Focused on our final two #PL games 💯
#MUFC https://t.co/cW88UU6iMo
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on 4th May 2022:
Cristiano Ronaldo to have bit-part role under Erik ten Hag, says Gabriel Agbonlahor
Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Cristiano Ronaldo could have a bit-part role under new manager Erik ten Hag next season. The Ajax manager is due to take charge at Manchester United this summer. Ronaldo's future remains up in the air ahead of the Dutchman’s arrival.
Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor said that Ten Hag must be afforded the power to choose his team.
“I don’t think Ronaldo being there is going to be a problem. What’s going to be a problem is Ten Hag is going to come in and say to Ronaldo ‘I want you to stay, but I’m going to play you in the games I want you to play in, I’m going to bring you off when I want to bring you off. I want to choose a team to win a game, and you might not be starting that game. If you show dissent walking off the pitch, I’m not going to play you’,” said Agbonlahor.
He added:
“He’s got to have that power as a manager. If he doesn’t, then it’s going to be another scenario where the player is bigger than the manager and the club. We see at the likes of Chelsea and Man City where Lukaku and Sterling are on the bench. Big players listen to big managers. They don’t show dissent and don’t have a problem with it."
Cristiano Ronaldo is two away from 700 goals in his club career 🔜 https://t.co/GdYGhZG1U0
Agbonlahor added that if Ronaldo refuses to accept a reduced role, he could be offloaded.
“There’s going to have to be a talk about it. If Ronaldo says ‘No, I’m not going to do that, I want to play every game’, then maybe Ten Hag makes the decision and says ‘You have to leave’. It’s going to be an interesting talk and discussion for the manager,” said Agbonlahor.
Ronaldo is the club's top scorer with 23 goals across competitions. However, he's all set to endure his first trophyless campaign in 12 years.
Toni Kroos opens up on failed move to Manchester United
Toni Kroos has revealed that he was close to joining Manchester United in 2014. The German midfielder eventually left Bayern Munich to join Real Madrid and has not looked back since then.
Speaking in a recent interview, Kroos said that he was in advanced talks to arrive at Old Trafford:
"I knew beforehand that United wanted me. And Moyes absolutely underlined that. It was a really nice afternoon with very pleasant people.. We talked a lot about United's football plan, which convinced me. But we also got to know each other as people. We knew quite a bit about the Moyes family afterwards. We talked about how we lived and how we all imagined life as a family," said Kroos.
He continued:
"In the end, we broke up to do it. So we agreed verbally. The next step should be to look at everything on the spot in Manchester. The move would not have been that complicated - after all, we only had one child at the time, seven months old. It would all have worked. I don't have these what-if-thoughts. Because there are no real answers to them. The only thing I can say with certainty is that I probably wouldn't have won the Champions League three times with Manchester United."
Paddy Kenny tips West Ham United to sign Jesse Lingard
Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny believes Jesse Lingard could join West Ham United this summer. The 29-year-old has struggled for game time at Manchester United and is all set to leave at the end of the season.
Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny said that there could be a beeline for his services this summer.
“Look, we all saw how good he is once he gets a run in the side; he’s brilliant. I’m sure he will have been disappointed not to play for Man United that much his season, especially after the manager said he would. It’s an easy deal for West Ham to do; he’s been there before, and they tried to sign him in January,” said Kenny.
He continued:
“The one big problem they face is that they aren’t the only club who will be interested. It’s rare that a player of his quality is available on a free, so there will be loads of options. I just hope he can find someone who will give him the chance to prove how good he is."