EPL: Sell Ronaldo now, Murphy urges Man Utd

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy says Manchester United should sell Cristiano Ronaldo.

Murphy believes that, although he is a legend at Old Trafford, Ronaldo would need to be sold in the summer to allow for a rebuild.

Commenting in his Daily Mail column, Murphy said: “Something radical needs to change at Manchester United even if it means important players like Cristiano Ronaldo being sold.

“You have to be careful dealing with superstars on big contracts, it’s better to find other takers before you fall out with them. But the bigger picture is that United have gone five years without a trophy and need to back a top manager who is there for the long haul, whether it be Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino or someone else.

“Those guys will want to do things their own way and a clear-out makes sense, headed by Paul Pogba and Ronaldo.” Manchester Evening News understands that Erik ten Hag is favoured by the United board to takeover at the Theatre of Dreams.

On Ronaldo, the Match of the Day pundit added: “They rely on Ronaldo’s individual brilliance, which can work in some games, like Tottenham last Saturday, but doesn’t against the best teams in the Premier League and Champions League. Manchester City and Liverpool have pushed the bar so high, United need both world-class ability and incredible physical output to compete and the latter isn’t in Ronaldo’s game anymore.

“For former glories to return to Old Trafford, United’s players need to press and compete for 60 matches a season in addition to the ability they possess. I can’t see Ronaldo being part of that.

“Selling him will be difficult for United fans. He’s a hero and rightly so but that doesn’t alter the fact it needs to happen for the future good of the team.

“It might be different if Ronaldo had the personality to accept he can’t play every week, but that wouldn’t happen. He’s never played second fiddle.”