Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has ruled out a potential move for Manchester United attacker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Newcastle are linked with a move for Manchester United. But the Magpies have no interest in signing the Portuguese international in the near future, as per manager Eddie Howe, quoted by 90min.
The 37-year-old has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford for months now. Apparently, Cristiano Ronaldo wants to join a club playing Champions League football. And therefore, a move to Newcastle does not make sense for the player either.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has now revealed that the Magpies want to build a squad for the future. So they are not keen on signing the 37-year-old forward. However, he maintained that Newcastle’s unwillingness to sign Ronaldo has nothing to do with the player’s quality. Howe claims that Ronaldo is a top-class player who has been an outstanding signing for Manchester United.
“We’re trying to provide long-term growth, we’ve got a longer-term vision,” Howe told reporters (h/t 90min).
“At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we need to invest more in young players. That’s probably a big part of our progression, we need to get the average age down.
“So, it might not be a signing that we would necessarily look to make, but that’s not under-estimating the quality of the player.
“He’s an outstanding player. You look at his goal record last year, that was incredible. So, for me, the transfer has worked, it’s been a success.”
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United last summer, and he had an exceptional campaign as far as his own performances are concerned. He managed to score 24 goals across all competitions but failed to guide Manchester United to a trophy or a top-four finish.
500 appearances + 700 club goals
Sir Alex Ferguson congratulates David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo 👏 pic.twitter.com/oesgyEGpLS
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 16, 2022
Things have changed dramatically since the arrival of Erik ten Hag as the club’s manager, and Ronaldo has failed to earn the trust of the Dutchman. The Portuguese international has started just twice in the Premier League so far this season, and it is clear that he’s not a key part of Ten Hag’s first-team plans.
With his contract expiring at the end of this season, it will be interesting to see if Manchester United are willing to cash in on the player during the January transfer window. Ronaldo needs to play regularly at this stage of his career, and it remains to be seen whether any club is willing to provide him with an exit route.
For now, the 37-year-old will be focused on the upcoming World Cup next month. It is fair to assume that this is the final World Cup of his career, and Ronaldo will be desperate to get his hands on the coveted prize in Qatar. Meanwhile, several other bigwigs, including Galatasaray, have also shown interest in the Manchester United attacker.
