“He’s not the future” – Paul Ince sends Cristiano Ronaldo reminder to Manchester United

Manchester United have relied on Cristiano Ronaldo to bail them out on multiple occasions so far this season. However, former Red Devils midfielder Paul Ince has warned the club against their reliance on the Portuguese superstar as he looks forward to the future.

Cristiano Ronaldo signed a two-year contract with Manchester United when he parted ways with Juventus in the summer. His deal with the Premier League giants runs out next year.

According to Paul Ince, the fact that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will probably spend a short period at Old Trafford means the club must begin planning for the future. The Englishman also claims the likes of Edinson Cavani, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba could also leave the club.

The Englishman was quoted as saying:

"Ronaldo’s got a year left, he’s not the future. Nor is [Edinson] Cavani. [Paul] Pogba could be gone. Bruno [Fernandes] could go," he added.

Paul Ince then progressed by naming the likes of Fred, Jadon Sancho, Scott McTominay and Aaron Wan-Bissaka among players who aren't playing well for Manchester United.

According to the former Red Devils midfielder, the club will need an 80% squad overhaul and a managerial change to challenge clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.

He said:

"You look at the players that are playing now. Fred isn’t good enough, we know that. [Scott] McTominay isn’t good enough, we know that. [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka has lost all his confidence, he’s not the right choice. Sancho looks miles off it."

"If you bring a new manager in, you’ve got to change 80 per cent of the team and still try to keep up to Liverpool, [Manchester] City and Chelsea’s standards. We've got a long, long way to go. I can’t see Rangnick being in charge next year."

Cristiano Ronaldo has bagged 14 goals and three assists for Manchester United so far this season

A look at Manchester United's next five fixtures

Manchester United are scheduled to face Aston Villa twice in the next eight days. The first of the encounters will come in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday while the second face-off will be in the Premier League next weekend.

After that, the Red Devils will lock horns with Brentford, West Ham and Burnley in their next three games in the English top flight. It remains to be seen how they'll fare in the relatively easy run of fixtures.