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Exit doors open for Ronaldo at Manchester United

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Cristiano Ronaldo is thought to be ready to quit Old Trafford if United miss out on Champions League football, and the Red Devils would not stand in the 37-year-old’s way

According to Mirror, Manchester United will not stand in Ronaldo’s way if their Portuguese superstar demands to leave Old Trafford.

Ronaldo, 37, is believed to be ready to quit the Reds again in the summer if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

And Sunday Mirror Sport understands that United will allow him to walk out if he makes it clear he wants to go.

There is now a growing acceptance inside the club that bringing Ronaldo back after 11 years spent with Real Madrid and Juventus was an error of judgement driven by both commercial factors and the determination to stop him joining rivals Manchester City.

Ronaldo was expected to transform the Reds into contenders for the Premier League and Champions League. Instead, he has become a sideshow.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked and interim manager Ralf Rangnick inherited a squad unable to deliver on his high-energy demands for 90 minutes.

Despite topping United’s scoring charts with 15 goals, Ronaldo is showing signs of wear and tear after playing almost 19 seasons at the top level.

His flashes of petulance have undermined both Solskjaer and Rangnick in the dressing room.

But the clock is now ticking on the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s stellar playing career.

Ronaldo will not want to miss out on the Champions League – but finding another top club might be a problem.

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City’s interest in signing him was driven by their belief that Juventus were ready to allow him to leave for free to get him off their payroll.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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