"Don’t have balance as a team" - Danny Murphy explains why Manchester United need to sell Cristiano Ronaldo

Danny Murphy has suggested that Manchester United should sell Cristiano Ronaldo to progress as a team. Murphy believes Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly a legend but he is not the solution to the woes of the English club:

''You can’t question Ronaldo’s quality but he’s 37 and, despite his goals, United don’t have balance as a team,'' Murphy said.

The former England international said Manchester United need radical reforms to end their five-year trophy drought. The Red Devils crashed out of Champions League contention after losing 1-0 in their second tie at home against Atletico Madrid.

Manchester United are already out of English domestic tournaments like the FA Cup and the League Cup. However, Manchester United's interim manager would want to finish in the top-four of the EPL table to secure the UCL spot.

Writing for The Daily Mail, Murphy insisted upon the importance of appointing a seasoned full-time manager to lead the team from the front. He wrote:

''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.''

The former Liverpool midfielder said that Manchester United rely heavily on Ronaldo's individual brilliance but that doesn't work against teams like Manchester City and Liverpool. He also mentioned that Ronaldo's physical output does not help his team compete against other Premier League rivals. He 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 any more.''

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Jessi Lingard asks his agent to plan a West Ham United return after his Manchester United contract expires - Reports

Manchester United v Atletico Madrid: Round Of Sixteen Leg Two - UEFA Champions League

Jessi Lingard has asked his agent to look into the possibility of returning to West Ham United after his Manchester United contract expires. The 29-year-old was loaned out to West Ham on a year-long deal in the 2020-21 season.

In 16 games he played for West Ham under David Moyes, Lingard scored nine goals and assisted five. Lingard's contract at Old Trafford will expire after the end of the ongoing season in 2022.