Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Former player advises Erik ten Hag to let Cristiano Ronaldo go; club remain in hunt for PSV Eindhoven winger, and more - October 20, 2022
Manchester United secured a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday (October 19) at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Fred and Bruno Fernandes found the back of the net to sum up a superb outing for Erik ten Hag's men.
Meanwhile, former Red Devils defender Rio Ferdinand has asked Ten Hag to let Cristiano Ronaldo go if he doesn't want the Portuguese in the team. Elsewhere, the Premier League giants remain in the hunt for a PSV Eindhoven winger, according to acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
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On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on October 20, 2022.
Rio Ferdinand advises Erik ten Hag to let Cristiano Ronaldo go
Rio Ferdinand believes Erik ten Hag should offload Cristiano Ronaldo in January if he's unlikely to include the Portuguese in his starting XI.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has struggled to break into the Dutchman’s plans at Manchester United this season. The 37-year-old was an unused substitute against Tottenham Hotspur and drew criticism for leaving the pitch before the end of the game.
Speaking on his Five Podcast, Ferdinand said that Ronaldo would be furious with the current situation at Old Trafford.
“My only thought could be that Ronaldo is being saved for the weekend against Chelsea. That’s the only way I see it, logically, that he did not play [last night]. I think Ronaldo will be absolutely fuming with that, naturally," said Ferdinand.
Rio Ferdinand: 'If he doesn't see Ronaldo as a starter in his team more often than not, I think he has to release him from his contract.’ @FIVEUK via @MailSport🚨🇵🇹 Rio Ferdinand: 'If he doesn't see Ronaldo as a starter in his team more often than not, I think he has to release him from his contract.’ @FIVEUK via @MailSport
Ferdinand added that unless Ten Hag sees Ronaldo as a starter, the Portuguese should be allowed to leave.
“I wouldn’t expect anything different from him. I think the big problem Erik ten Hag has got is that, coming up to this next window, he has got to think very carefully about what he does. If he doesn’t see Ronaldo as a starter in his team more often than not, I think he has to release him from his contract," said Ferdinand.
Ronaldo has scored two goals from 11 appearances for the Red Devils this season.
Manchester United remain in hunt for Cody Gakpo
Manchester United remain interested in Cody Gakpo, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Dutch winger was wanted at Old Trafford this summer, but a move failed to see the light of day. The Red Devils opted to invest heavily in Antony instead.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano has said that the Premier League giants share an excellent relationship with Gakpo’s agent. He added that the club remain hot on the heels of the Dutchman, although they could face severe competition for his signature.
“Manchester United have excellent relationships with Cody Gakpo’s agent. A deal was never really close to being completed during the summer as United decided to go big on signing Antony. However, United are still following Gakpo but will face competition from other clubs in England as well as Spain,” wrote Romano.
Gakpo has scored 13 times in 18 appearances across competitions this season.
Antonio Conte heaps praise on Red Devils
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has said that Manchester United were the better team on Wednesday. The Red Devils dominated proceedings at Old Trafford, putting in arguably their finest performance of the season.
As cited by Caught Offside, Conte acknowledged that the hosts deserved to win.
"United deserved to win, they played a really good game. In our side, when the level needs to be high, we need to improve a lot and be better than today. United showed today they are much better than us. I consider United a really good team," said Conte.
Manchester United have won six of their ten games in the league this season and are fifth in the standings.