Man Utd: Ten Hag would be 'silly' to sell £31.5m Old Trafford star | OneFootball

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is set to remain at Old Trafford for one more season as incoming boss Erik ten Hag ‘would be silly’ to offload the fans’ favourite during the opening stages of his reign, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Ten Hag has agreed to move into the Red Devils’ hot seat at the end of the season, with him walking away from current employers Ajax in order to take the job.

What’s the latest news involving Ronaldo?

Ronaldo sealed his return to Manchester United after a deal was struck with Juventus in the final stages of last summer’s transfer window.

However, it seemed ten Hag’s appointment would not play into the striker’s hands as it was reported that Ronaldo does not feature in the Dutchman’s plans and he has been given the green light to move onto pastures new.

Despite the uncertainty, it is understood that Ronaldo has told his team-mates that he intends to remain at Old Trafford unless it becomes clear that he is not wanted by ten Hag.

The 37-year-old’s decision comes despite a disappointing campaign which will see Manchester United finish no higher than sixth in the Premier League standings and, as a result, miss out on Champions League qualification.

Ronaldo is set to enter the final 12 months of his Red Devils contract, which is worth £480,000-per-week, in the summer.

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What has Dean Jones said about Ronaldo?

Jones is convinced that Ronaldo will see out the remainder of his Manchester United agreement, meaning he will not seal his exit in the coming months.

The transfer insider feels ten Hag would be making a huge mistake if he decided against making the 186-cap Portugal international a key component of his plans.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “I fully expect him to stay and I always have. I think the reports that ten Hag couldn’t see a future with Ronaldo in the team were naive.

“He would be silly to push out the one player that seems to care and seems to be in-form at the moment. You’ve got to embrace Ronaldo and I think he will embrace Ronaldo. He’s been carrying the team and that’s what you need. You need him to carry this team into next season.

“It will be his final season – there’s no coming back after this. Ronaldo’s final season at Old Trafford needs to be a good one.”

How has Ronaldo performed since his return?

Despite Manchester United’s struggles, which were emphasised in their 4-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion last time out, Ronaldo has arguably been the one shining light.

He has found the back of the net 24 times and chipped in with a further three assists in 38 appearances.

The £31.5million-rated star has even claimed two hat-tricks since returning to Old Trafford and reached the milestone of his 50th at club level when Norwich City were put to the sword last month.