3 potential replacements Manchester United should look at if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves this summer

Cristiano Ronaldo has not returned to Manchester United for pre-season training. The 37-year-old was scheduled to return on Monday, however, due to family reasons, he has not joined yet.

It was reported last week that Ronaldo had informed the club of his desire to leave this summer, as per David Ornstein. This report was validated and many respected journalists like Fabrizio Romano and Simon Stone confirmed this story.

With United failing to qualify for the Champions League last season, Ronaldo leaving the club was always a possibility.

However, this became a fact in April, and therefore the timing of the Portuguese forward's decision came as a bit of a surprise. As he has also not returned to training, these rumors have heightened and it looks increasingly likely that Ronaldo will leave this summer.

We will look at the three attackers Manchester United should sign as replacements should the Portuguese forward leave.

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#3 Andrea Belotti

Andrea Belotti has scored over 100 goals in 230 appearances for Torino. Belotti is a free agent, which means attaining his services will not affect the club's transfer budget for the summer. He brings experience and could offer his services for the next 2-3 years given that he is only 28.

Belotti will offer the team a different dimension of attack as he is extremely physical and possesses good hold-up play. We have seen what Ten Hag has done with Sebastian Haller this season, who has similar qualities.

His poacher instinct means he will also score goals for Manchester United, which apart from Ronaldo is something they struggled with last season. Belotti is also a player United have been linked with in the past, therefore he clearly has admirers at the club.

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#2 Paulo Dybala

While Paulo Dybal is not a like-to-like replacement for someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, he is a quality player who can add a lot to this United side. He has the ability to play off the right and this is something Manchester United missed last season as Jadon Sancho mostly featured on the left flank due to Rashford's poor form.

It is understood the club have been in contact with the 30-year-old's agents to discuss a deal. The fact that this move would not cost the club a transfer fee is also a factor that makes this a smart move.

Dybala is also the kind of player who would thrive under a manager like Erik Ten Hag. The Argentine possesses technical qualities which are required for a player to be effective in Ten Hag's system.

However, there is a risk in signing Dybala and that is his injury record. Manchester United have experienced this issue with many players in recent years, with Paul Pogba being the most recent example.

Given that it is a free transfer, this is a calculated risk that the club can afford to take.

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#1 Robert Lewandowski

If Manchester United want to get a like-for-like replacement for Ronaldo when it comes to goals, there is no better option on the market than Robert Lewandowski.

The 33-year-old bagged 35 goals in 34 appearances in the league for Bayern Munich. The striker has consistently put these numbers up for several years now and has also performed in the Champions League as well.

This could prove to be a slightly more difficult deal to complete as it is understood Lewandowski favors a move to Barcelona. However, this is also proving to be a complicated deal due to the Spanish club's financial issues.

A move to Bayern is an option for Ronaldo and Manchester United could attempt to negotiate a swap deal for Lewandowski.