It's not even been a year since Cristiano Ronaldo made a stunning return to Manchester United. The 37-year-old completed one of the biggest transfers in history when he came back to the club after a 12-year absence, signing an initial two-year deal from Juventus.
Few could have foreseen the season ending so poorly when Ronaldo scored twice on his second debut as United took Newcastle United apart at Old Trafford in September but for at least the third time in his career, Ronaldo has requested to leave the club.
The news has come as a surprise to United and Erik ten Hag, who had counted on keeping Ronaldo as he planned to strengthen other areas of the squad.
Though the club publicly maintain Ronaldo is not for sale, though, there is feeling behind the scenes that letting him go could be the best decision for all those involved. Ronaldo - and his £500,000-a-week wages - would be off the books and Ten Hag would have the opportunity to play with a younger, more dynamic forward that may lack the goals that Ronaldo provides but is a better fit for the system he wishes to play at Old Trafford.
The problem is, though, that Ronaldo's revelation has come out of the blue and has left United unprepared. The club lost out to Manchester City for Erling Haaland, while they backed away in competition with Liverpool for Darwin Nunez as they felt their budget would be better spent elsewhere.
But with Ronaldo now looking increasingly likely to leave the club, Metro.co.uk has compiled a list of potential replacements based on suitability for Ten Hag, availability and United's budget.
Robert Lewandowski
The most obvious upgrade on the list. Lewandowski has made no secret of his desire to leave Bayern Munich and much like United with Ronaldo, the Germans have privately conceded they will have to cash in on the Pole.
Barcelona is Lewandowski's preferred destination but the Catalans are constrained by their crippling financial situation and they've already had two bids rejected for the ex-Dortmund striker.
At 33, Lewandowski is four years younger than Ronaldo and he shows few signs of letting up. The striker netted 50 goals in 46 matches last term and he offers more in link-up play than Ronaldo without the selfishness in front of goal, which could help the likes of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
It's unlikely that Lewandowski would be overly excited over a move to Old Trafford given their lack of Champions League football but the chance to play in the Premier League before he retires could appeal to the Pole.
Bayern would likely demand a fee of around £45m asking price for the striker, despite the fact that he is entering the final year of his deal.
Victor Osimhen
If signing ageing strikers is to be a thing of the past, then United could do a lot worse than a look at Napoli sensation Osimhen.
The Nigerian became the club's record signing two years ago when he completed a £75m move to Naples from Lille. It was in France that the striker burst onto the scene in European football, scoring 18 goals in 33 matches during a sole season with the Ligue 1 side.
The 23-year-old has maintained his progress since moving to Serie A and hasn't struggled with the higher standard of the league. After managing an average of a goal every three games during his debut season in Naples, Osimhen's output improved last term as he bagged 18 times in 32 matches.
The forward would be a good fit for Ten Hag as he is able to press from the front when without the ball and enjoys making defence-stretching runs when his side are in possession.
Napoli are said to be one of the few sides that are interested in signing Ronaldo and they would likely consider a major offer for Osimnhen.
Paulo Dybala
United have twice signed to sign Dybala in the past, most recently on deadline day of the 2019 summer transfer window under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Argentine's hopes of moving to the club appeared over when the Norwegian spent £49m on Bruno Fernandes that January but the playmaker left the Old Lady at the end of last season when his contract expires and he is available on a free transfer.
Though Dybala has primarily operated as a second striker during his career, he is capable of playing in a more central position and could play the 'false nine' role that Dusan Tadic played under Ten Hag for two seasons in Ajax.
The former Southampton winger scored 23 goals in four seasons on the south coast but netted 38 times in his debut season in the Dutch capital as Ten Hag transformed him into an unorthodox central striker.
With wingers like Sancho and Rashford that get in behind defences, a play-making centre forward like Dybala could knit the play together and see United move in a different direction than if they stuck with Ronaldo.
Dybala would command huge wages but it would be substantially less than what Ronaldo is currently taking home.
Inter Milan had appeared the most likely destination for Dybala but that was before the club signed Romelu Lukaku, meaning there's only a relatively small cluster of clubs that could take on Dybala's wage demands.
Anthony Martial
He felt compelled to join Sevilla in January because of the competition from Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford.
But Martial could soon find himself as the only recognised centre forward at the club if Ronaldo gets his wish of an exit.
The Frenchman is not a great fit for how Ten Hag wants to play and numerous United managers have had grievances with the forward's low work-rate.
But with options on the market thin on the ground, Martial would represent a good stop-gap until January or next summer for Ten Hag to secure a long-term target.
The former Monaco ace has suffered back-to-back disappointing campaigns, scoring just eight times in his last 47 appearances.
But Martial showed what he can do as a centre forward in the 2019/20 campaign, which was his last as United's main man before they signed Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani.
The Frenchman scored 23 times in 48 appearances during a difficult season and he has a good relationship with both Fernandes and Rashford, meaning there would be no 'settling in' period.
Comments