Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Cristiano Ronaldo situation compared to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga at Arsenal; Brazilian full-back unsure of his future, and more - October 22, 2022
Manchester United will travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday (October 22) to face Chelsea in the Premier League. New manager Erik ten Hag has taken his team to within one point of the Blues, who are in fourth place after ten games.
Meanwhile, former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has compared the Cristiano Ronaldo situation at Old Trafford to the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga at the Emirates. Elsewhere, Alex Telles is unsure of his future with the Red Devils.
#CHEMUNTaking a trip to the capital 🧳🏙
🆚 #CHEMUN
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On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on October 22, 2022.
Paul Merson compares Cristiano Ronaldo situation to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga at Arsenal
Paul Merson has compared Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation at Manchester United to the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga at Arsenal. The Gabon international had a public fallout with Mikel Arteta last year at the Emirates and was offloaded to Barcelona this January. The Portuguese has also irked Ten Hag with his behavior in recent games.
The Dutch manager has omitted the five-time Ballon d’Or winner from the squad for the Chelsea game due to his antics. Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute during the Tottenham Hotspur win in midweek. He also opted to walk off the pitch before the end of the game instead of celebrating with his teammates after a fabulous (2-0) win.
In his column for The Daily Star, Merson said that the 37-year-old did not set a good example in midweek.
“It's almost like the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. There were a lot of young kids at the game on Wednesday that look up to one of the greatest players to ever play football, and they will be watching it with the mindset of 'if he can get away with that, we can all get away with it,” said Merson.
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New message from Cristiano Ronaldo on Instagram today, preparing for his return next week. 🔴🇵🇹 #MUFC https://t.co/lG3tSCqslB
The former Arsenal midfielder pointed out that the episode will help Ten Hag stamp his authority on the Red Devils squad.
“I think this now works perfectly for Ten Hag. He's had a right result because it's his chance to stamp his authority on the dressing room. He can throw down the gauntlet to the rest of his young players and make it clear that he is the man in charge,” said Merson.
He continued:
“They would then sit there and say 'wow, I can't believe he's done that' - earning the manager the utmost respect. If he goes the other way, and lets it slide again, then you're taking the easy option out. He needs to show them who is in charge.”
Merson also said that Ronaldo is no longer indispensable at Old Trafford.
“Ronaldo is not necessarily a player that United absolutely need, either. He's no Eric Cantona to Sir Alex Ferguson. If it was any other player that had done the Kung fu kick, they would have been gone. Ten Hag knows that if he wants to play a certain way - with a certain tempo - Ronaldo won't be in the team. That is just a fact,” said Merson.
Ronaldo has registered two goals from 11 appearances across competitions for Manchester United this season.
Alex Telles unsure of his future at Manchester United
Alex Telles is unsure of his future with Manchester United. The Brazilian full-back is on loan with Sevilla till the end of the season. However, with intense competition for the left-back slot at Old Trafford since Tyrell Malacia’s arrival, Telles could become surplus to requirements under Ten Hag.
Speaking to AS, as cited by Man Utd News, the Brazilian said that he's happy at Sevilla.
“I am very happy at Sevilla; the club and the fans have given me a lot of confidence. I will give my best here, and I don’t know what will happen next year,” said Telles.
Telles has appeared 13 times across competitions this season for the La Liga side.
Paul Parker labels Luke Shaw ‘lazy’
Paul Parker reckons Luke Shaw's laziness continues to hurt his performances. The Englishman was initially usurped from Manchester United’s starting XI this season by new signing Tyrell Malacia. However, Shaw has fought his way back into contention recently.
Speaking to My Betting Sites, as cited by Football 365, Parker said that Shaw could go places if he improves his defensive awareness.
“Luke Shaw has never been the smartest footballer. But he is doing his job quite well at the moment. But he is still lazy; look at his body language. He doesn’t want to track back when he is defending; he gets stupid bookings through laziness,” said Parker.
He added:
“But if he can avoid that, he might be able to perform on a consistent basis for both Manchester United and England. Luke Shaw’s biggest problem has always been Luke himself.”
Shaw has started the last three Premier League games for the Red Devils.