Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Former player lavishes praise on Cristiano Ronaldo; Marko Arnautovic turned down move to Old Trafford this summer, says agent; and more - October 15, 2022

Manchester United have won their last two games across competitions since their humiliating 6-3 defeat at Manchester City. Erik ten Hag’s men next face Newcastle United at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday (October 16).

Meanwhile, former Red Devils left-back Patrice Evra has spoken highly of Cristiano Ronaldo. Elsewhere, Marko Arnautovic's agent has said that the player turned down a move to Old Trafford this summer.

On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on October 15, 2022:

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Evra lavishes praise on Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to break records on the pitch.

Patrice Evra has heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese recently created history by scoring the 700th goal of his club career. Evra shared the pitch with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner during the latter's first stint with Manchester United.

In his column for Betfair, as cited by The Peoples Person, the Frenchman labelled Ronaldo as an alien.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is an alien. I won’t call him the GOAT, because he’s not from this earth. it’s crazy. What I like about Cristiano is his discipline. When I was training with him, that’s the word that I had in my head every single day. He’s scored 700 goals. 700 times this guy has scored. I can repeat it over and over ,and it’s still hard to believe,” said Evra.

Evra went on to add that the 37-year-old’s discipline has been the secret to his success.

“It’s Cristiano Ronaldo, an alien is how I’d describe him. Incredible discipline to do it. I think his discipline to push himself that much is a sickness; it’s like a disease. It’s a disease in a good way. People don’t understand how many sacrifices Cristiano Ronaldo has to make every single day. His diet, his sleep pattern,” said Evra.

Ronaldo has scored twice in 11 appearances for the Red Devils this season.

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Marko Arnautovic turned down move to Old Trafford this summer, says Tiziano Pasquali

Marko Arnautovic was briefly wanted at Old Trafford this summer.

Tiziano Pasquali has said that Marko Arnautovic turned down a move to Manchester United this summer. The Red Devils were linked with the Austrian this summer as they looked to add a new No. 9 to their ranks. The move was reportedly scrapped on a back of strong protests from fans.

However, speaking to Gianluca di Marzio, as relayed by Caught Offside, Pasquali said that Manchester United had continued negotiations despite the reaction from fans. The player's agent added that it was Arnautovic who eventually decided not to move to Old Trafford.

“Yes, Juventus and Manchester United had come forward. From the English, we had received a written proposal, and the negotiations had continued even after some contrary opinions from their fans. But in the end, it was Marko who chose not to drag it out too long and to stay at Bologna. How can you think that he is now in a bad way?” said Pasquali.

The Red Devils have struggled due to the absence of a proper No. 9 this season.

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Erik ten Hag needs more signings to complete Manchester United turnaround, says Troy Deeney

Former Watford striker Troy Deeney reckons new manager Erik ten Hag needs a few more signings to get Manchester United back to the top. The Dutchman took over the reins at Old Trafford this summer and has enjoyed a mixed start to his tenure.

In his column for to The Sun, Deeney also said that Lisandro Martinez is the only defender Ten Hag trusts at the club.

“I like what I see from Erik ten Hag so far, but it is clear that he has grave reservations about his backline, with Lisandro Martinez the only defender he is entirely convinced about,” said Deeney.

He added:

“We do not know yet whether Casemiro is up to speed and whether he is “the answer” to United’s long-standing midfield problem, and up front, it’s clear Ten Hag hasn’t settled on the central striker or the wide-left player he wants. It will take United two or three good transfer windows until they can truly compete at the very top again.”

The Red Devils have lost three times in the league this season.