Erik ten Hag has confirmed that he wants Cristiano Ronaldo to remain at Manchester United.
Ronaldo has one year remaining on the two-year contract he signed upon his sensational return from Juventus last summer, with the option for a further 12 months beyond that, but his future at Old Trafford has been subject to considerable doubt.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has notched 24 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions for United so far this season, proving a saviour and match-winner on a number of occasions during what has been a truly miserable campaign for the club.
However, at 37, his place in what is expected to be a drastic overhaul under incoming manager Ten Hag has been subject to fervent debate, with question marks over how he will fit in during such an overdue and wide-ranging rebuild in terms of both personnel and tactics.
Ronaldo himself has signalled that he would like to remain at United beyond the summer, while interim boss Ralf Rangnick - still set to move into an advisory role at the end of the season despite agreeing to become the new head coach of Austria’s national team - also believes he should be retained by the new regime.
Those thoughts have now been echoed by Ten Hag, who is due in Manchester to start planning for the United job on Monday after leaving Ajax earlier than expected following the culmination of their title-winning Eredivisie season.
He already met with United’s football director John Murtough in the Netherlands last week as focus quickly shifts to the transfer market amid strong links to the likes of Barcelona’s ex-Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
“I look forward to working with Ronaldo,” Ten Hag told Dutch publication De Telegraaf. “Ronaldo is a giant, because of everything he has shown so far and because of how ambitious he is.
“I want to keep him at Manchester United, of course. He has been very important for this club and can produce great stats.”
