Man Utd have already made a mistake on replacing Cristiano Ronaldo

Erik ten Hag on Cristiano Ronaldo staying at Man Utd

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When it comes to replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in January, providing Manchester United decide to let their talisman go, the Red Devils must avoid making the same mistakes of the past. The fallen giants previously sold the Portugal international to Real Madrid for a huge £80million back in the summer transfer window of 2009. However, their business in the aftermath of his departure certainly left much to be desired…

Back in 2009, United were the biggest club in the country.

The Red Devils won the Premier League title that year, seeing off Liverpool in the process, while they also made the Champions League final where they lost 2-0 to Barcelona on a chastening night in Rome.

United also claimed the EFL Cup, which came mere months after they’d lifted the Club World Cup in Japan.

But, in the summer of that year, Ronaldo rocked United by asking to leave – having previously been denied a move to Real Madrid 12 months earlier.

On this occasion, Sir Alex Ferguson decided to bow to the forward’s demands – allowing him to join Madrid despite saying he ‘wouldn’t sell that mob a virus’.

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A deal was concluded swiftly, with United then banking a huge £80m for their talisman in return – a fee that dwarfed the £60m Real had paid for Kaka earlier in the summer.

Yet in the aftermath of their deal for the Portugal international, the Red Devils got their recruitment all wrong.

United were linked with Karim Benzema, who had established a reputation as one of Europe’s hottest prospects after dazzling for Lyon in Ligue 1.

Franck Ribery was on their radar, too, having torn up the Bundesliga following his move to Bayern Munich from Marseille.

Samuel Eto’o was linked, though he’d later end up leaving Barcelona for Inter Milan in a sensational swap deal that saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic head in the opposite direction.

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United were credited with an interest in David Villa, having scored 31 goals from 43 games in the 2008/2009 season, only for him to end up at Barcelona the following year.

And his Valencia team-mate David Silva also attracted interest from Ferguson, only for the Scot to deem him not good enough.

Ferguson recalled in 2015: “We watched Silva a lot when he was at Valencia. And the other player they had, the same type, years before it, played in that No. 10 role.

“My problem with that was you have to be very, very good to play in that position, because there’s no defensive duties for them.

“So if you’re wanting to be really successful, everyone has to do their turn, has to work, you know?

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“So I had a difficulty with that. But, in the end, of course, there’s the greats. You could say Lionel Messi was a No. 10 type, [Diego] Maradona, some fantastic players, and I don’t dispute that.

“But at United we always found it difficult. The kind of No. 10 I used came from my experience as a footballer.”

In the end, United decided to replace Ronaldo with two cheap signings.

Antonio Valencia would be a hit but, in truth, never came close to having the same impact as his predecessor on the right flank.

And while Michael Owen had his moments, it was clear the England international was way past his best by the time of his controversial arrival.

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Now, if United do cut Ronaldo loose in January, they need to get their transfer business right.

Letting him go, and not signing a world-class replacement, would be a poor move from the Glazers given the gulf in quality between the Red Devils and Manchester City.

They need a superstar to lead their attack, the same way City now have Erling Haaland plundering goals galore.

United’s decline started when they sold Ronaldo and didn’t replace him, even if Ferguson ensured the trophies kept coming.

Should a departure materialise in January, the onus will be on the Glazers, Ten Hag and everybody else to ensure United have learned from the mistakes of the past.

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