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Manchester United will look to get their season back on track when they face Brentford on Saturday. New manager Erik ten Hag was handed a reality check by Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend who won at Old Trafford in their Premier League opener last week.
Meanwhile, former United defender Rio Ferdinand has warned the Red Devils against offloading Cristiano Ronaldo. Elsewhere, the club are interested in a PSV Eindhoven forward.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on August 9, 2022:
Rio Ferdinand warns Manchester United against offloading Cristiano Ronaldo
Rio Ferdinand has warned Manchester United against offloading Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. The Portuguese has been yearning for a move away from Old Trafford all summer but is yet to get his wish.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel Vibe with Five, Ferdinand also said Ten Hag should always start Ronaldo for his goalscoring prowess, regardless of his fitness.
“Man Utd can't let him go. Where are they finding 24 goals? (Darwin) Nunez has gone to Liverpool; (Erling) Haaland's gone to (Manchester) City. ... Not even a question, start him. A 50 per cent fit Ronaldo, you're putting your money on him before anyone (else) in that team. If he starts, you've got a better chance of getting a better performance out of Cristiano Ronaldo (longer term),” said Ferdinand.
He added that Ronaldo may be short of match fitness having joined pre-season late but can still impact games.
“(Ronaldo) is coming back fitter than anyone still. He's coming back into the building fitter than anyone; trust me. But due to the lateness of coming back to pre-season, he's behind in the physicality in terms of being with the team. Match fitness is different to fitness on your own. ... we all understand that. But, listen, he's one of the greatest players of all time. Put him on the pitch early doors when you're in the game.”
Red Devils interested in Cody Gakpo
Manchester United are interested in Cody Gakpo, according to The Independent. The Dutch forward has earned rave reviews with his recent performances for PSV Eindhoven.
Gakpo, 23, registered 21 goals from 47 appearances for PSV last season, including the winner against Ten Hag’s Ajax in the KNVB Cup final. His exploits have earned him admirers at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are looking to bolster their attack this summer and have earmarked Gakpo as a target. However, the club are yet to get in touch with either the player’s representative or the Eredivisie side. He's likely to cost around €40 million.
Pep Guardiola would struggle with current Manchester United team, says Steve Nicol
Former Liverpool right-back Steve Nicol believes even Pep Guardiola could struggle with the current Manchester United team. Ten Hag has endured a difficult start to his tenure at Old Trafford after an opening day loss to Brighton. There has been little improvement in the team’s performance from last season.
Speaking to ESPN, Nicol said that the current crop of players is simply not good enough.
“This Manchester United team, this squad of players, absolutely confirms that it doesn’t matter how good the coach is. If you have players who are not capable of playing at a level where the club should be, it’s not going to happen,” said Nicol.
He continued:
“You can stay from 9am to 9pm on the training field, but if they players are not good enough, if they can’t take it in and can’t deliver it; you have to get players out the door and bring in players who can do it. Whoever has been bringing these players through the door, they don’t know what they are doing.”
He added that even Guardiola cannot transform the current United team's fortunes:
“You can go and switch Erik ten Hag to Manchester City, and bring over Pep Guardiola to Manchester United, they would still be getting beat.”
