Cristiano Ronaldo nears Manchester United exit as Erik ten Hag eyes replacement

 Manchester United are preparing for life without Cristiano Ronaldo by prioritising a striker as their next major first-team signing, with Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko high on their list of long-term targets.

Erik ten Hag has welcomed Ronaldo back into his team for three consecutive starts since he was dropped for refusing to come on as a substitute for the final minutes of the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

But with eight months left on his contract at Old Trafford and the 37-year-old open to leaving, United are looking at their options for a No9 having backed Ten Hag with successful signings at the heart of his defence and bolstering the Dutch coach’s midfield.

Finding a striker is the next part of Ten Hag’s rebuild at United with Sesko, 19, on the club’s radar since breaking into Red Bull Salzburg’s first team last season and reaching double figures for goals in his first full campaign.

Last year he signed a contract with Leipzig, Salzburg’s sister club in the Red Bull group, before being loaned back to Austria, but that has not stopped interest from clubs across Europe.

While it would take a significant bid to prise the forward away from Leipzig in the immediate future, he is widely admired inside Old Trafford with the club prepared to play the long game over one of the continent’s best young players.

He has been under consideration previously although United ended up targeting a short-term fix in the summer up front and eventually abandoning a move for Marco Arnautovic in the face of a supporter backlash.  

Sesko is seen as a player with huge potential and is following in the same path as Erling Haaland, who was at the Austrian Bundesliga club before moving to Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City.

The Slovenia international’s value is increasing and he could cost upwards of £40 million when he eventually moves, but United are now looking at long-term striker options compared with their stance in the summer.  

They are also keeping a close eye on Dusan Vlahovic’s situation, or more precisely Juventus’ slump in Serie A and whether the Italians may lose their key players without Champions League football. Vlahovic has interested 

in Tottenham and other Premier League clubs previously while he was at Fiorentina but he stayed in Italy and moved to Juve last season, wearing the No 7 shirt once worn by Ronaldo.

United will also try to sign a right-back in the next two windows, with Diogo Dalot currently first choice and Aaron Wan-Bissaka yet to start a game this season under Ten Hag.

The United manager’s signings have worked so far, with Lisandro Martínez overcoming a shaky start and Tyrell Malacia adding competition at left-back. Christian Eriksen has proved an excellent free transfer and Casemiro, while an expensive signing, has shown why he is a proven winner.

As well as seeing positive signings, United have been impressed with how Ten Hag has dealt with the Ronaldo situation. He wasted little time in clarifying what had happened in that Spurs game and banished the club legend from his squad for a match.

It is understood that Ten Hag was willing to welcome the veteran back into his plans if he embraced his philosophy of the squad being all in it together, which means no private training sessions and a being a full part of the group. So far Ronaldo has returned with three starts and a goal during wins over FC Sheriff, West Ham and Real Sociedad, with Aston Villa and their new manager Unai Emery next this weekend.

As reported by Telegraph Sport, United would be willing to listen to offers for Ronaldo and grant his desire to leave the club when the January transfer window opens, although finding a suitable club to cover his extensive wages will be an obstacle.

Ten Hag has been pleased with Ronaldo’s performances since his return to the team, saying he has been an important part of keeping three clean sheets during those games. “Because we defend with 11, starting with Cristiano up front,” was his explanation for the clean sheets.

“So we are hard to beat as a team. I think that’s a compliment but it’s also that process we have to keep going, that makes it hard to beat us because everyone is convinced of that plan, everyone is disciplined in that plan. When we play with the desire and passion, we are hard to beat and that makes us, in this moment, successful.”