Former Manchester United center-back Jaap Stam has urged the club to part ways with Cristiano Ronaldo. Stam feels the Red Devils should make a decision for their greater good. There has been a lot of speculation regarding Ronaldo’s future at Old Trafford and many football experts believe it will be best for the club to let him go.
Earlier, it was reported that Ronaldo had asked to leave the club as he wanted to play in the UEFA Champions League. However, the team’s manager Erik Ten Hag revealed that the talisman is not for sale. In fact, Ronaldo had also not taken part in the preseason matches of Manchester United citing personal reasons.
Jaap Stam said as quoted by the Sun, “Everybody knows Ronaldo and what he’s been doing for United last season and in the past, so everybody is looking up to him. But if a player’s not happy and wants to leave, then you need to make a decision for the greater good and say, ‘OK, maybe it’s better we part ways’ and look for somebody else.”
“So if he’s in the dressing room and he really wants to leave and he’s not himself, or he’s sitting there by himself or he’s not in a good mood, then it has an impact on the players, for sure.”
On the other hand, the former Dutch defender added that Manchester United could have made a decision earlier on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future to avoid the whole saga which has been taking place since the off-season.
Stam added, “He already knew last season he wasn’t going to be playing Champions League with United, so I assume Ten Hag had a conversation with him before he started. I don’t know if Ronaldo addressed it at this point, otherwise I’m thinking they could’ve made a decision earlier, before the season.”
He continued, “I can understand that a manager wants to keep a player like this, because he’s of great value for the club and the team. If he’s not happy, if he’s not performing, then sometimes it’s maybe better to make a different decision — not only for yourself but the team.”
Manchester United have got off to a horrendous start in the season as they have lost both of their matches against Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford FC.
