"How can you let your top goalscorer go?" - Noel Whelan says Manchester United would be making marketing and footballing mistake by selling Cristiano Ronaldo

Noel Whelan has claimed that it will be both a poor marketing decision as well as a footballing mistake from Manchester United if they sell Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo made his much-anticipated comeback at Manchester United from Juventus last summer. The Portuguese superstar was impressive on an individual level. However, the Red Devils endured a season to forget and even missed out on a Champions League spot.

With his contract expiring in a year's time, there has been speculation regarding Ronaldo's future at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag. As per Italian outlet La Repubblica, the veteran attacker is considering his future at the club, with Roma and Sporting Lisbon touted as potential destinations.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has insisted that it would be catastrophic for the Red Devils to lose Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. He told Football Insider:

“The team have moved backwards and the club have moved backwards. With his sellability in terms of shirt sales, they’d lose money on that front. He was the club’s top scorer last year despite it being a shocking season for them."

Whelan suggested that Ronaldo remains a top player even at the age of 37 and urged Manchester United to keep their top scorer.

“How can you let your top goalscorer go. Someone with that amount of quality, even with his age at 37. He’s a serial winner. It would be a marketing mistake and a footballing mistake.”

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Manchester United must keep Cristiano Ronaldo next season

Cristiano Ronaldo might not be the player he used to be but he remains one of the top players in world football, even at 37.

It was a horrific season for Manchester United last time out but things could have been a lot worse if not for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. The Portuguese scored 24 goals in 39 games last season, out of which 18 were in the Premier League and six were in the Champions League.

With a new manager coming in and the club looking to go through a transition phase, decisive players like Cristiano Ronaldo can make a lot of difference.

The 37-year-old is still capable of single-handedly winning games for his side, which will allow the new signings to take their time to settle in. From a financial point of view, losing Ronaldo would be a major blow to the Red Devils, particularly when the club is struggling.