Eddie Howe downplays suggestions Newcastle could buy Cristiano Ronaldo

Which club might Ronaldo join if he leaves Man United?

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Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has downplayed the possibility of his club signing Cristiano Ronaldo by suggesting the player does not fit the ‘long-term vision’. The Magpies are one of the few who could afford the Manchester United striker’s huge wages given the influx of Saudi Arabian cash but this does not look like something they are likely to pursue. 

Ronaldo has been pushing to leave Old Trafford since the summer when he handed in a transfer request in order to try and push through a move to a Champions League club. However, no offer was forthcoming for the 37-year-old and he was forced to stay in the north west for the current campaign. He has become something of a bench player with Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Antony making up Erik ten Hag’s first-choice front three. 

As such, he has been told by the United boss he can leave should a suitable offer come in for his services in January. Attention has now started to turn to who his club might be and Newcastle have been tipped to be in the running as a result of their vast finances from Saudi Arabia. 

However, Howe has downplayed these suggestions as he looks to bring down the age of his squad. 

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“We’re trying to provide long-term growth, we’ve got a longer-term vision,” Howe explained when asked about the possibility of signing Ronaldo ahead of his team’s fixture with the Red Devils later today. “At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we need to invest more in young players. That’s probably a big part of our progression, we need to get the average age down.

“So, it might not be a signing that we would necessarily look to make, but that’s not under-estimating the quality of the player.” 

Despite not thinking the Portugal star was not the right fit for his club, the Newcastle manager was keen to stress the player’s quality as he looked ahead to the match up at Old Trafford. 

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“He’s an outstanding player,” Howe said. “You look at his goal record last year (36 from 44 games), that was incredible. So, for me, the transfer has worked, it’s been a success.

“He got massive goals last year and some really late, important goals in the Champions League. The quality of the player is unquestionable. We are going to have to be very, very good against him if he plays. We’re going to have to brief our players on the areas from where he wants to score That’s something we have to be aware of.” 

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