Transfer News: Ronaldo Back to Manchester?

Di Maria is leaving Old Trafford, and maybe Cristiano Ronaldo could be the one who arrives instead.

The ”Ronaldo back to Manchester” topic appears in the media from time to time. It can be the thing of a bored journalist or a manipulative agent. However, it seems that this time the shock transfer could actually happen. Or at least the rumour has some foundations. Several English newspapers reported that Manchester United seriously interested in bringing back their former player, and online betting sites also noticed the changes at Real Madrid.

• Di Maria joins PSG
• Man United need a natural goalscorer
• Ronaldo wouldn’t be a Di Maria replacement

Angel di Maria is heading to Paris, after Manchester United and PSG have agreed on a fee around EUR 65 million (GBP 45 million), gambling news report. Taking that into account, United can really afford a world class player now, and the attacking department might need some strengthening indeed. The question is that is Ronaldo ready to leave Madrid and return to England?

Ronaldo back to Manchester can really happen?

Cristiano Ronaldo previously stated that he enjoys playing and living in Madrid and he plans to be there until he is 40. Though he also revealed that sometimes he thinks of going back to Old Trafford one day. Think what you want, but he is a professional footballer, and he plays for the club that is the best for him and his career. He was excellent for the Red Devils, but he had become a beast in Madrid, a player that has only one real match, Lionel Messi.

But Ronaldo is surely far from being sick of the competition with the Argentine. However, he might be fed up with new Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez sooner or later. Okay, those reports in the media about their training pitch rift might be exaggerated. Still, Ronaldo won’t be happy sitting on the bench, when the rotation policy of Benitez will order him to do so for certain games.

Considering all this, online sportsbooks in the EU naturally offer some lucrative odds for his projected new team after the summer transfer window. At BetVictor Sportsbook Manchester United is available at 4.50 (7/2), which suggests that something might be about to take shape behind the scenes indeed.

Ronaldo is not a Di Maria replacement

It is speculated in the media that United might want to replace Angel di Maria with Cristiano Ronaldo, as the Argentine player is about to leave Old Trafford. However, the two are hardly the same type of players. Though both of them were deployed on the wing several times throughout their careers, neither of them is a natural winger. Angel di Maria is a midfielder, and he is the best in a role that is hard to come by in English football.

His natural position is similar to a wide man’s in a diamond-shaped midfield, though he tends to drift inside or across the field. He also covers a lot of distance, making dangerous forward runs. He can be used as an attacking player in a modern three-man midfield. Meanwhile Ronaldo is a natural goalscorer. Many of those who follow mobile betting news might know that he was developed as a striker in Portugal. However, as football was evolved, the role of the wide striker appeared for quick and powerful players, who are dangerous starting from wide positions.

Ronaldo was one of them, and he played this role for Manchester United, starting from the wing, or either side of the midfield. Real Madrid was able to exploit his goalscoring potential even better though, as he has been fielded in the forward-line there. He is playing closer to the opponent’s goal, he also matured and developed as a player and he enjoys the benefits of first-class assistance. All this contributed to his scoring rate being doubled in Madrid.

United have a considerable depth in midfield after the acquisitions of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, and they could use a goalscorer beside Wayne Rooney. Therefore it is reasonable for them to use the money they get for Di Maria, to sign a world class forward. PSG will reportedly pay for the Argentine a fee of EUR 65 million, and it seems that United will have to add EUR 50 million more at least to get Ronaldo. This is far from being impossible, so wagering on that is tempting with the odds mentioned above, though it seems more probable at this stage that Ronaldo stays in Madrid for now.