Former Man Utd goalkeeper Mark Bosnich shares thoughts on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Old Trafford

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich thinks Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Old Trafford in the upcoming January transfer window would be best for player and club. This is following the latter’s refusal to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur on October 18.

As a result of Ronaldo’s actions against Spurs, United boss Erik ten Hag dropped him from the squad for their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday. The decision has added to speculation that the Portuguese international’s future at the club could be coming to an end.

“I think he needs to move on and I think the club needs to move on as well. Bosnich told Sky Sports. “I think that’s quite apparent and has been for quite some time.

“There’s been a massive debate about everything that’s going on and I don’t think that anybody, including Roy Keane, is supporting him [Ronaldo] about what he did about walking off and driving off.

“I think people have got to remember and maybe Roy didn’t put it in a succinct way, there is always two sides to every story and the bottom-line is, because we don’t know exactly what’s going on behind the scenes, if somebody is getting wound up and they end up doing what Cristiano did which doesn’t do his cause no good, then people start to look and say ‘well hang on a minute, there’s only one side to the story here’ when there’s obviously not.

“There are always two sides to every story. But when you’re a player at a club, the boss is the boss, that’s the bottom-line. I think come January there’s got to be some agreement to perhaps go their separate ways. I think at the moment in time with what Ten Hag is building that will exacerbate the problem for the whole club and for the team more importantly.”

Ronaldo re-joined the Red Devils from Juventus in the summer of 2021 after over a decade away from the club. He was their top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions last season in a forgettable campaign which saw United finish sixth in the Premier League with 58 points - their lowest in the competition’s history.

The 37-year-old has struggled with his form this season, scoring just twice in 12 appearances in all competitions. Ten Hag has a big decision to make as to whether to recall Ronaldo for the Red Devils’ Europa League group-stage clash with Sheriff on Thursday evening - the forward scored in the reverse fixture in September.