MANCHESTER UNITED will not stand in the way of Cristiano Ronaldo if he wants to quit the club this summer.
There are no guarantees that the Red Devils will land a Champions League spot and failing to do so could see the Portuguese icon move on.
United seemed to have pulled off a masterstroke signing the 36-year-old from Juventus in the summer.
But there are feelings at the club that the incredible Ronaldo come-back story hasn't gone to plan.
Raphael Varane was also part of United's summer transfer overhaul and Ralf Rangnick could make the Frenchman captain, according to reports.
The Red Devils boss said: "Well I don't know, it is difficult to say right now.
"What will happen in the next one, two or three years? I don't know. That is not of any importance. For me it is what will happen in the next three months."
Follow ALL of the latest updates and transfer gossip from Old Trafford right here…
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- Kealan Hughes
Real eye United target Pochettino
Manchester United face a battle to land Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino, according to The Mail.
The Red Devils are yet to decide whether to stick with interim manager Ralf Rangnick or twist in another direction.
And one of the alternative options to Rangnick is Pochettino, who was linked with the job when Ole Gunnar Solskjer was sacked late last year.
But according to the Daily Mail, United could face competition from Real Madrid for Pochettino, who could be 'obtainable' this summer.
Despite sitting pretty at the top of LaLiga, there are doubts emerging over Carlo Ancelotti's long-term future at the Bernabeu.
- Kealan Hughes
Schmeichel wary of Arsenal threat
Peter Schmeichel believes only Arsenal can stop Manchester United qualifying for next season's Champions League.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast: "I think Arsenal have shown some great form.
"But actually, on current form in the last five games, Man United is a little bit better than Arsenal. It’s hard to see but they are.
"I think having the points on the board rather than games in hand [is more important].
"It was a great win (against Leeds), let me absolutely clear about that it was a great win, but I still think there is a long, long, long way to go for this team.
"They’ve still got, in terms of football, so many more things to prove."
- Kealan Hughes
Pogba calls up big rival
Paul Pogba called friend Antoine Griezmann ahead of their Champions League showdown on Wednesday.
The French World Cup-winning duo will be wearing different colours when Atletico Madrid welcome Manchester United to the Spanish capital.
And ahead of the crucial Round of 16 clash, pals Pogba and Griezmann shared a call which the United ace shared a grab of on his Instagram.
Both players were grinning from cheek to cheek ahead of their meeting.
- Joshua Mbu
Morning, United fans
Rio Ferdinand reckons Jadon Sancho has revved into top form because Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial are out of the picture.
Manchester United's £73million summer buy is finally showing his Borussia Dortmund pedigree as United grip onto fourth place in the Premier League.
The England winger teed up two goals in Sunday's 4-2 win at Leeds.
And Old Trafford legend Ferdinand told his Vibe with Five podcast: “There is not that big threat that I’m probably not going to play next week or he’s got a chance to play somebody else.
“He probably has been told you’re going to play now, you’re going to start every game.
“Go make it your own shirt. That confidence lift and shift from looking over his shoulder to 'no, I’m here to play' is a big difference."
But it's Red Devils' attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes who is way ahead in the Prem stats for creating chances.
The Portugal superstar’s total of 73 surpasses Liverpool duo Trent Alexander-Arnold (64) and Mo Salah (49) in second and third.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid could face a selection headache for tomorrow's Champions League last-16 first leg at home to United.
Skipper Koke missed training as he battles to be fit, while Matheus Cunha and Daniel Wass are also sidelined.
Old Trafford keeper David de Gea will return to Spain for that match claiming he feels more like a Manc than a Madrileno.
And finally, United starlet Anthony Elanga could reportedly consider switching from Sweden to Cameroon.
- Ian Tuckey
Fernandes is Prem's top creator
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes is the Premier League’s top creator of chances – in cold stats.
The Portugal superstar’s total of 73 easily beats the 64 from next-placed Trent Alexander-Arnold – a rare defender on the list.
Fernandes added a goal and assist to his impressive tally as United won 4-2 at Leeds on Saturday.
- Ian Tuckey
‘Only Gunners can catch Red Devils’
Old Trafford legend Peter Schmeichel believes only Arsenal can threaten Manchester United’s grip on fourth place.
The Gunners beat Brentford 2-1 on Saturday but United moved four points clear in the battle for the final Champions League spot with yesterday’s 4-2 win at Leeds.
Former Denmark keeper Schmeichel, 58, said: “I think Arsenal have shown some great form.
“But actually, on current form in the last five games, Man United is a little bit better than Arsenal. It’s hard to see but they are.
“I think having the points on the board rather than games in hand [is more important].”
- Ian Tuckey
Older Trafford
Manchester United could pull together an awesome six-a-side team for this summer’s Masters – with a combined age of 283, writes JAMES COLOSANTI.
The famed tournament that sees club legends competing against each other makes a long-awaited return.
Our suggested Manchester United super side features legends of the game who won every club honour going between them under the Red Devils’ greatest-ever manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.
We have gone for 130-cap Netherlands hero Edwin van der Sar, 51, in goal.
The star finally filled the giant hole left by the exit of Great Dane Peter Schmeichel in 1999 when he arrived from Fulham in 2005, and won four league titles and the Champions League with United.
The defensive duo could be ex-England stars Rio Ferdinand, 43, and Wes Brown, 42 – relative ‘babies’ in this mature line-up! Brown’s two Champions League winners’ medals underline how important he was to Fergie, while former West Ham and Leeds favourite Ferdinand was simply one of the best defenders of his generation.
Our ‘engine room’ is not too shabby either, with one of United’s greatest-ever skippers Roy Keane, 50, keeping everyone on their toes alongside Paul Scholes, 47.
And that lot could be carving out opportunities for former Newcastle and United goal-machine Andy Cole – or Andy ‘Goal’ as he became known in playgrounds up and down the land throughout his pomp.
- Ian Tuckey
Rio: Jadon thriving without Mason and Martial
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Jadon Sancho has burst into form because he can relax now that fellow attackers Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial are out of the first-team picture.
Sancho is finally showing his Borussia Dortmund pedigree as United grip onto fourth place in the Prem.
And with Greenwood cast out, while Martial is on loan to Sevilla, ex-England defender Ferdinand claims Sancho isrevelling from having less pressure for his place.
Ferdy told his Vibe with Five podcast: “For someone like Sancho, who has been searching for a bit of form and consistency, the fact that Mason Greenwood is no longer available and Martial is no longer available
“There is not that big threat that I’m probably not going to play next week or he’s got a chance to play somebody else.
“He might have been told behind the scenes, I would argue he probably has been told, you’re going to play now, you’re going to start every game.
“Go make it your own shirt, that confidence lift and shift from looking over his shoulder to no I’m here to play is a big difference. I think that is now why we’re seeing what we’re seeing from Sancho right now.”
- Ian Tuckey
Atletico fear Koke zero vs Man Utd
Atletico Madrid could be without captain Koke for Wednesday's Champions League last-16 first leg at home to Manchester United.
Reports in Spain claim the key midfielder picked up an injury in the 3-0 weekend win over Osasuna and missed training with his team-mates today.
Koke, 30, has started all six of Atletico’s European group matches this season.
And the 61-cap Spanish ace has not missed a Champions League match since November 2018.
Atletico will check Koke’s fitness but if he fails to recover it would be a big blow for Diego Simeone’s side.
And the Argentine boss could be facing a selection crisis ahead of Wednesday’s first leg clash at the Wanda Metropolitano with Matheus Cunha and Daniel Wass also sidelined.
- Ian Tuckey
Lifetime bans for missile-throwing fans at Utd clash
Leeds will hand lifetime bans to fans who threw missiles at Manchester United players.
And the FA have launched an investigation into Sunday's disorder.
Anthony Elanga was floored by a coin when celebrating after Fred put the Red Devils back ahead on Sunday.
Elanga, 19, recovered to score the winning goal in Man Utd’s 4-2 win against their bitter rivals.
Nine arrests were made before and during the match, with two for flares being thrown and one for pitch invasion.
And a Whites spokesperson said: “Leeds United are reviewing CCTV footage and we will do everything possible to find those supporters who are throwing objects onto the field of play.
“Any supporter caught throwing objects onto the pitch will be issued a lifetime ban from attending our fixtures.”
In the biggest security operation in Premier League history, 900 police officers were on duty for Sunday’s bitter War of the Roses clash.
- Ian Tuckey
Red Devils are top game-changers
Manchester United substitutes have scored ten goals in the Premier League this season, FOUR more than any other club, writes JOSHUA MBU.
Goals by Fred and Anthony Elanga were the latest Red Devils super subs, both scoring in the second half of the 4-2 win over Leeds.
And FIVE of the league goals coming from the bench have come under interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
The German has been in charge since late November and has his bench firing at the right moments.
Edinson Cavani was the first man to grab a goal in a substitutes appearance under Rangnick.
The experienced forward scored late on against Newcastle to rescue a point after replacing Mason Greenwood at the start of the second half.
Marcus Rashford scored an injury time winner against West Ham from the bench last month and he also got another late on against Brentford.
The nearest clubs for goals from the bench are Liverpool with six.
- Ian Tuckey
Bru's the daddy
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes is the Premier League's top creator of chances – in cold stats.
The Portugal superstar's total of 73 easily beats the 64 from next-placed Trent Alexander-Arnold – a rare defender on the list.
Fernandes added a goal and assist to his impressive tally as United won 4-2 at Leeds on Saturday.
- Ian Tuckey
Cameroon 'in for Elanga'
Anthony Elanga could switch from Sweden to Cameroon.
Subs Fred and Elanga clinched Manchester United's 4-2 Premier League win at Leeds on Saturday.
And Footazimuts say Cameroon football chiefs have approached the Malmo-born winger, 19.
It's claimed Elanga Junior is enthusiastic but his mum and agent are yet to be convinced the Sweden Under-21 star should swap nations.
Elanga's dad, Joseph, won 17 Cameroon caps as a left-back and played at the 1998 World Cup finals.
- Ian Tuckey
DE STAYA
David de Gea returns home this week claiming he feels more like a Manc than a Madrileno.
Not surprising after over a decade at Old Trafford as he prepares to return to his birthplace and the club where it all began – Atletico Madrid.
De Gea says: “I like the fact I was born in Madrid, but at the end of the day, it’s just a city.
“Now I feel as if I’m from Manchester; I just feel like anyone else from Manchester.
“Where you are loved and welcomed is your home.
“I’ve been here for many years and, obviously, anything can happen in life, in the world of football, but honestly I don’t see myself away from Manchester United.”
- Ian Tuckey
'Only Arsenal can catch Utd'
Old Trafford legend Peter Schmeichel believes only Arsenal can threaten Manchester United's grip on fourth place.
The Gunners beat Brentford 2-1 on Saturday but United moved four points clear in the battle for the final Champions League spot with yesterday's 4-2 win at Leeds.
Former Denmark keeper Schmeichel, 58, said: “I think Arsenal have shown some great form.
“But actually, on current form in the last five games, Man United is a little bit better than Arsenal. It’s hard to see but they are.
“I think having the points on the board rather than games in hand [is more important].”
- Ian Tuckey
Jadon hitting the heights
Manchester United star Jadon Sancho is starting to figure things out at Old Trafford.
The England winger endured a difficult start to the season, failing to score a single goal under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But he has shown promising signs in recent matches, having seemed to gain confidence under Ralf Rangnick.
And the stats back this theory up, with his numbers improved across the board.
Sancho’s goals per game stat is up from 0.14 across his first 23 matches to 0.4 over his last five. His assists per game are also up across the same period, from registering none at all to now averaging 0.4 in each match.
The 21-year-old is now creating two chances per game, compared to 1.8 previously.
His shooting volume is also up, from 1.15 a game to 2.2 in each contest, while his attempts on target have risen from an average of 0.36 to 1.
A sign of his renewed confidence is the fact that he appears to be taking on his man more. Before he was attempting 3.53 dribbles per match, compared to 5.4 now. He is completing 2.4 in each game, up from 1.58 before.
- Ian Tuckey
Murphy mocks Utd celebrations
Danny Murphy mocked Manchester United for celebrating beating Leeds 'like they had won the title'.
The Red Devils were pegged back from 2-0 up to to 2-2 before clinching a 4-2 win to move four points clear of fifth-placed West Ham.
But ex-Liverpool and England midfielder Murphy believes United's jubilance showed how far they have fallen.
He told talkSPORT: "This is how far they’ve come and it’s a shame because they are a brilliant club. But they were celebrating that win at Leeds, to cement fourth position for the time being, like they’d won the title.
“You were watching it going, okay, passion, emotion – I get it. But this is Man Utd, they’re now in fourth. Well done boys.
“You’ve won at Leeds, who have conceded the second-most goals in the Premier League. They should be beating Leeds and Brighton – they’ve spent the most money.
“They’re celebrating fourth position and saying ‘a couple of months ago we wouldn’t have won this game’. Their expectations have got to be higher.
“This idea that United have won twice in a week, are in fourth and now everything’s alright again. I don’t concur with that.”
- Ian Tuckey
Vintage Devils
Manchester United could pull together an awesome six-a-side team for this summer's Masters – with a combined age of 283, writes JAMES COLOSANTI.
The famed tournament that sees club legends competing against each other makes a long-awaited return.
Our suggested Manchester United super side features legends of the game who won every club honour going between them under the Red Devils' greatest-ever manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.
We have gone for 130-cap Netherlands hero Edwin van der Sar, 51, in goal.
The star finally filled the giant hole left by the exit of Great Dane Peter Schmeichel in 1999 when he arrived from Fulham in 2005, and won four league titles and the Champions League with United.
The defensive duo could be ex-England stars Rio Ferdinand, 43, and Wes Brown, 42 – relative 'babies' in this mature line-up! Brown's two Champions League winners' medals underline how important he was to Fergie, while former West Ham and Leeds favourite Ferdinand was simply one of the best defenders of his generation.
Our 'engine room' is not too shabby either, with one of United's greatest-ever skippers Roy Keane, 50, keeping everyone on their toes alongside Paul Scholes, 47.
And that lot could be carving out opportunities for former Newcastle and United goal-machine Andy Cole – or Andy 'Goal' as he became known in playgrounds up and down the land throughout his pomp.
- Ian Tuckey
Prem Covid cases lowest since November
PREM bosses have recorded the lowest covid numbers since November – although the rate of positive samples was slightly up, writes MARTIN LIPTON.
League chiefs reported just nine positive tests in the seven days up to Sunday.
That came from 2,958 tests on players and staff across the 20 Prem clubs, compared with 14 positives from 6,299 tests in the previous seven days.
The total represented the lowest since the tests between November 22 and 28 saw seven positive samples.
- Ian Tuckey
Utd top table for scoring subs
Manchester United substitutes have scored ten goals in the Premier League this season, FOUR more than any other club, writes JOSHUA MBU.
Goals by Fred and Anthony Elanga were the latest Red Devils super subs, both scoring in the second half of the 4-2 win over Leeds.
And FIVE of the league goals coming from the bench have come under interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
The German has been in charge since late November and has his bench firing at the right moments.
Edinson Cavani was the first man to grab a goal in a substitutes appearance under Rangnick.
The experienced forward scored late on against Newcastle to rescue a point after replacing Mason Greenwood at the start of the second half.
Marcus Rashford scored an injury time winner against West Ham from the bench last month and he also got another late on against Brentford.
The nearest clubs for goals from the bench are Liverpool with six.
- Ian Tuckey
Ron wants to block witness statements
Cristiano Ronaldo wants to block the release of dozens of witness statements in his Las Vegas rape case – because it could put people at "significant risk of harassment".
Lawyers for the Man Utd ace have filed two separate responses in an ongoing legal battle to stop the release of police files in the 2009 case.
The files include a cache of recorded interviews, witness statements, emails, CCTV footage and medical reports.
The New York Times first launched a legal bid to get their hands on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department files, but have faced stern opposition.
Ronaldo's legal team first argued that much of the information in the files was obtained illegally by the Football Leaks website. But now, according to a new legal filing obtained by The Sun, the star's lawyers say witnesses in the case would be put at "risk" if they are outed.
They argue that the files shouldn’t be published for the safety of Ronaldo and his accuser, Kathryn Mayorga, as well as key witnesses and anyone who offered information, who could suffer "potentially serious reputational harm".
The submissions filed on February 8 state: "The persons named in LVMPD’s file, as well as those who provided information contained therein, have a strong interest in 'not being associated unwarrantedly with alleged criminal activity'.
"Plaintiff, Defendant, and the witnesses who were interviewed as part of the reopened investigation all have non-trivial privacy interests."
- Ian Tuckey
DE STAYA
David de Gea returns home this week claiming he feels more like a Manc than a Madrileno.
Not surprising after over a decade at Old Trafford as he prepares to return to his birthplace and the club where it all began – Atletico Madrid.
De Gea says: “I like the fact I was born in Madrid, but at the end of the day, it's just a city.
“Now I feel as if I'm from Manchester; I just feel like anyone else from Manchester.
“Where you are loved and welcomed is your home.
“I've been here for many years and, obviously, anything can happen in life, in the world of football, but honestly I don't see myself away from Manchester United.”
- Ian Tuckey
Sancho now showing his potential
Manchester United star Jadon Sancho is starting to figure things out at Old Trafford.
The England winger endured a difficult start to the season, failing to score a single goal under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But he has shown promising signs in recent matches, having seemed to gain confidence under Ralf Rangnick.
And the stats back this theory up, with his numbers improved across the board.
Sancho's goals per game stat is up from 0.14 across his first 23 matches to 0.4 over his last five. His assists per game are also up across the same period, from registering none at all to now averaging 0.4 in each match.
The 21-year-old is now creating two chances per game, compared to 1.8 previously.
His shooting volume is also up, from 1.15 a game to 2.2 in each contest, while his attempts on target have risen from an average of 0.36 to 1.
A sign of his renewed confidence is the fact that he appears to be taking on his man more. Before he was attempting 3.53 dribbles per match, compared to 5.4 now. He is completing 2.4 in each game, up from 1.58 before.
- Ian Tuckey
Sevilla loanee Martial sweats on injury
Anthony Martial limped off in the first half of Sevilla’s match at Espanyol on Sunday, and now faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of his injury.
The on-loan Manchester United man went down after just 25 minutes of the La Liga contest, holding his left leg.
The Frenchman forced through a temporary move away from Old Trafford last month, and had looked reinvigorated in his first three games for Julen Lopetegui’s team.
Martial scored in Thursday’s Europa League game against Dinamo Zagreb, but is now unlikely to be fit for this week’s return leg.
- Sam Dymond
Ronaldo blanks again despite win
While most Manchester United fans will today be celebrating a well-earned win at the home of their fierce rivals, there will still be those concerned by the form of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese legend endured another difficult day in front of goal, blanking for the seventh time in eight games. The forward has scored just once in 2022, and has missed the joint-most amount of big chances of anyone in the league since the start of the year.
Perhaps the trip to Madrid will reignite the striker, who has a wonderful personal record against Wednesday's opponents. Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in 35 matches against Atletico, only scoring more often versus Sevilla during his entire career.
Four of Ronaldo's 48 club hat-tricks have come against the Spanish side, two of which have come in the UEFA Champions League; no player in the competition’s history has netted more hat-tricks against a single opponent.
Credit: @WhoScored Twitter
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