Former Liverpool and Tottenham star Danny Murphy has urged Manchester United to make the "difficult" decision to sell Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar returned to Old Trafford in a £13million move from Juventus at the end of the summer transfer window. He has had an impressive campaign in front of goal since then, scoring 18 goals in 32 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.
But as a team, United have struggled badly, having been knocked out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup early into both competitions. They are also set to miss out on qualification for the Champions League, having been knocked out at the last 16 stage by Atletico Madrid and already sitting four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal despite playing a game more.
An overhaul of the squad is expected to be coming at the end of the season, when a new permanent manager is appointed to succeed interim boss Ralf Rangnick. And Murphy believes that for United to progress, they must make the ruthless decision to move on Ronaldo.
"Something radical needs to change at Manchester United even if it means important players like Cristiano Ronaldo being sold. You have to be careful dealing with superstars on big contracts, it’s better to find other takers before you fall out with them," he told the Daily Mail.
"But the bigger picture is that United have gone five years without a trophy and need to back a top manager who is there for the long haul. Those guys will want to do things their own way and a clear-out makes sense, headed by Paul Pogba and Ronaldo.
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"You can’t question Ronaldo’s quality but he’s 37 and, despite his goals, United don’t have balance as a team. They rely on Ronaldo’s individual brilliance, which can work in some games, but doesn’t against the best teams in the Premier League and Champions League."
While Murphy admitted that selling Ronaldo would be hard to take for United fans, it is a decision that will be necessary for the long-term benefit. The 37-year-old has come in for criticism for his inability to be part of a high-pressing team, a style of play that all of the coaches on United's shortlist like to implement.
"United need both world-class ability and incredible physical output to compete and the latter isn’t in Ronaldo’s game any more. For former glories to return to Old Trafford, United’s players need to press and compete for 60 matches a season in addition to the ability they possess. I can’t see Ronaldo being part of that," Murphy added.
"Selling him go will be difficult for United fans. He’s a hero and rightly so but that doesn’t alter the fact it needs to happen for the future good of the team. It might be different if Ronaldo had the personality to accept he can’t play every week, but that wouldn’t happen. He’s never played second fiddle.
"If the new manager wants Harry Kane, I’m not sure Ronaldo would want a supporting role. Ronaldo is an all-time great but he isn’t the solution to United’s problems. They need a world-class manager and let him build, even it means letting go of a legend."
