Man United’s Ronaldo could return to former club

Manchester United host West Ham United on Sunday afternoon, and Cristiano Ronaldo is once again the focus in the build up to the match. 

The Portuguese returned to The Red Devils’ starting line up for their match against Sheriff on Thursday, having been excluded from the squad for the game against Chelsea last weekend.

Ronaldo’s omission from the squad came after the 37-year-old was pictured walking down the tunnel before the final whistle during United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, with Erik ten Hag later revealing that the player had also refused to be substituted on.

Ten Hag fined the player £1 million for his actions, and the Dutchman reportedly wants him to leave as soon as possible.

It remains to be seen whether or not Ronaldo will make his return to Premier League action on Sunday, but the Portuguese continues to be linked with an exit from Old Trafford.

Now, Sporting Lisbon are reportedly ready to re-sign the forward in January in what would be a sensational move.

According to The Mirror, the Portuguese side are ready to offer Ronaldo a route out of his Old Trafford nightmare.

The ex-Real Madrid man began his senior career with Sporting, making his debut for the club in 2002.

Ronaldo could be on his way back to Portugal

His impressive run of form in Portugal prompted United to move for the player in 2003, and the Portugal international has since gone on to score over 700 career club goals and win the Ballon d’Or on five occasions.

Sporting’s offer would reportedly require United to give the player a pay-off on his current £500,000-per-week wages, as the Portuguese side simply could not afford it.

Sporting would, however, pay the bulk of the player’s wages, the report says.

Over the summer when Ronaldo initially decided he wanted to leave Old Trafford, he reportedly cited his desire to play in the Champions League as his primary reason.

Returning to Sporting would potentially allow him to do that, as the club have impressed in Group D of the competition so far this season and are in a good position to secure their place in the last 16.

Ronaldo enjoyed a successful season last term on his return to United, scoring 24 goals in 38 matches across all competitions, but he has struggled this term.

He has scored just once in the Premier League, and has primarily been used as a substitute by Ten Hag.

Ronaldo’s agent has reportedly offered the player to several clubs around Europe, including Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, but he is yet to attract any interest.