Manchester United officially announced the release of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, effective immediately, which means that Ten Hag has one less striker at his disposal, and if Martial is injured again, only Marcus Rashford will be able to play as a centre-forward. As a result, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United may change their plans to bring in a new striker in the January winter transfer window, with Netherlands' World Cup international Codi Gakpo being the first choice at the moment.
After Manchester United released a 68-word breakup statement, the 37-year-old Ronaldo also expressed his position on social networking sites, stressing that he still loves the Red Devils. "I love Manchester United, I love the fans and that will never change. However, I felt it was time to seek a new challenge." Ronaldo wrote, "I wish the team success for the rest of the season and beyond."
According to odds, parent side Sporting Portugal are the favourites to step Cristiano Ronaldo, with Chelsea in second place and super-agent Jorge Mendes rumoured to be in talks with Blues boss Todd Burley. The major league is the third favorite to land where Ronaldo goes, and then Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid and other teams are more like full teams, and Ronaldo is unlikely to join.
But for Manchester United fans, it is not worth paying much attention to which team Ronaldo joins now, and they are concerned about who will take the Portuguese superstar's gun. The rumored Mbappe and Osmayne are completely unlikely to transfer in the winter window in January, and their price is over 100 million, and the club does not have enough funds at present.
Eredivisie PSV Eindhoven's Gakpo may already be the best choice, and Premier League Brentford centre-forward Ivan Tony is also an ideal candidate, but unfortunately he is involved in a scandal, and Manchester United may not dare to consider bringing in for the time being. Moreover, in terms of transfer fees, Dutch international Gakebo will also be cheaper than "family register" Tony.
The 23-year-old scored in the Netherlands' World Cup opener against Senegal with a header that headed in the crucial goal. This has brought his 15 goals in all competitions this season, 18 assists and 33 goals, leading the European football statistics table!
Manchester United are also ahead of Premier League rivals such as Liverpool, Arsenal, Leeds United, Southampton and West Ham in the competition for Gakpo, all of whom are looking at the performance of Dutch wingers. The report said United had more information than other teams.
United could sign Gakpo as early as January, but PSV Eindhoven, who run Rustelrooy van Nistelrooy, will demand at least €50 million (£43m) for a transfer fee. If it continues to perform well in the World Cup, it may raise its price again.
If Gakpo comes in the winter window, he could get the Manchester United number 7 shirt left by Cristiano Ronaldo. In PSV Eindhoven, the Dutch striker wears the number 11 shirt and the number 8 at the World Cup, but these numbers already have owners in the Red Devils. The Manchester Evening News said that Sancho and Anthony may both want to compete for the number 7 at Manchester United, but the club may not give either and hand it over to another new signing.
In the past, Manchester United's No.7 also belonged to PSV Eindhoven, wearing the No.7 after Di Maria's departure after Memphis Depay joined the Reds in 2014, but he ultimately failed. In the past 15 years, the only No.7 players in Manchester United who have performed well are Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani. Today's number 7 shirt is no longer a Manchester United legend, but more like a spell.