Cristiano Ronaldo has ‘weakened’ his position on playing time if he ends up staying at Manchester United: Reports

Cristiano Ronaldo will potentially see his playing time reduced at Manchester United if the star fails to leave the club this summer. This is according to football correspondent Jacque Talbot who took to Twitter to share insight into the current events regarding the star at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese superstar reportedly returned to Carrington and met with the Old Trafford hierarchy to express his desire to leave. However, it does not seem like a resolution has been met by either party, with United intent on keeping their star striker till the end of his contract, at the very least.

With these reports from Talbot, Ronaldo's agitation to leave Manchester United will play a factor in how much playing time the mercurial goalscorer gets next season. However, this will likely be dependent on how the rest of the squad fares under Erik ten Hag's tactics.

If the Red Devils can see an improvement in their goalscoring without Cristiano Ronaldo's input, then Talbot's reports may prove true.

The star is reported to be the highest earner in the English Premier League currently. It is difficult to see how the Red Devils will be willing to pay him such a massive wage without keeping their star attacker on the starting lineup.

Manchester United are also interested in making a move for Red Bull Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko, according to Talbot. However, the journalist noted that their interest in the young star was not dependent on Ronaldo's potential exit from Old Trafford.

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Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo could move to Sporting Lisbon as talks begin: Report

Ronaldo's playing time at Old Trafford may not matter if the star decides to return to the club where he burst onto the scene. According to reports from The Athletic, there are ongoing discussions held between Sporting Lisbon and the star's superagent Jorge Mendes.

It is uncertain as to how the Portugal giants might be able to pay the star's wages, and it seems Cristiano Ronaldo will have to take a paycut if he leaves Old Trafford. For now, the star's future remains up in the air, but the current transfer window will certainly determine if he stays at Old Trafford or takes his leave.