Ruben Amorim has insisted Sporting CP would love to reunite with Cristiano Ronaldo, but a move is not possible due to his enormous wages.
Cristiano Ronaldo have been linked with a move to across a number of clubs, and Sporting CP’s name popped up in the summer. The Manchester United forward spent his formative years at the Sporting academy before making it count at the senior level.
Manchester United came calling for Ronaldo in 2003, and he has not looked back since then. But his return to Old Trafford has not panned the way everybody would have liked.
The first season was pretty smooth on a personal level as he became Manchester United’s highest goal scorer. But the Red Devils struggled considerably as they finish outside the top four for the first time in three seasons.
Meanwhile, in the summer, Ronaldo had voiced his concerns and wanted to depart from Old Trafford to play for a club playing Champions League football. But his wish did not get fulfilled and without prior pre-season, Erik ten Hag decided to use him sparingly at the start of the season.
Despite Ronaldo building his fitness, the Manchester United manager seems to have a conscious effort to keep him engaged in the speedy transition that his team has had this season. But the former Real Madrid talisman has visibly struggled to match defenders with his pace. And it could force Manchester United to limit their strategy should he remain at the club beyond January.
But one cannot ignore the fact a proven goalscorer like Ronaldo needs only a handful of games to be back to his best. Ruben Amorim, who has been linked with a number of managerial vacancies of late, definitely fancies teaming up with the superstar but has conceded the limitations of his club.
As quoted by Goal, the Sporting CP manager said, “Ronaldo is a top player, a Manchester United player. I’m going to respond the same way as a lot of journalists in Portugal ask me that question a lot. He is a Manchester United player.”
He went on to add, “Everybody in Sporting dreams of the return for Cristiano, but we don’t have the money to pay his wages. I think he is happy in Manchester but is not playing so that is the problem.”
So one door seems to be closed for Ronaldo, with Sporting CP unlikely to be able to afford their former prodigy. But recent reports have linked the disgruntled Manchester United forward with several big clubs, including Arsenal and Newcastle United. So Ronaldo might still be hopeful of leaving the Red Devils.
