Most of the Manchester United squad were thrilled when they learned Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to leave the club this summer, according to ESPN (via The Mirror).
Ronaldo had expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford in the summer due to United's failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. That was despite the Portuguese forward netting 18 league goals, but United only finished sixth.
The news of Ronaldo wanting to exit the club has gone down well with most players in the squad. According to the aforementioned source, many thought the the 37-year-old forward had become a "pain in the a***".
According to ESPN, Ronaldo had huge expectations from the United squad. The forward wanted the likes of Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford to perform at a higher level compared. That did not go down well with the rest of the squad.
It's therefore possible that there could be more harmony in the United squad if the five-time Ballon d'Or winner leaves this summer.
Ronaldo has been linked with numerous clubs this summer, like Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Sporting CP.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Serie A side Napoli have also entered the race and are pushing to make the transfer before the window slams shut in a couple of days. Napoli are looking to make a loan offer for Ronaldo due to time constraints.
Cristiano Ronaldo hardly featured in pre-season for Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of match fitness in pre-season was always going to hamper his preparations for the new season with Manchester United.
He did not travel with the squad on their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, citing personal reasons. However, the forward had informed the club about his desire to leave before the pre-season tour.
Ronaldo played just 45 minutes in pre-season against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford. The forward left the stadium even before the full-time whistle, which apparently did not go down well with new manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo has made an underwhelming start to his 2022-23 season. The 37-year-old forward has started just once in four games and is yet to open his account.
Ten Hag has preferred to play with a more pacy and energetic attack comrpising Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.