(Reuters) – Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick said he will discuss Cristiano Ronaldo’s future with new manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s board, with the Portugal forward’s contract set to expire at the end of next season.
Ronaldo re-joined United this season on a two-year deal from Juventus, returning to the club where he won eight major trophies from 2003 to 2009.
The 37-year-old has scored 17 goals in 28 league appearances this season, including the equaliser in Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at home. Only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored more league goals this term.
“This is something that we should speak about between Erik and the board and myself,” Rangnick told reporters when asked about Ronaldo’s future.
“Cristiano has another year of contract. It is also important to find out what he wants if he wants to stay.”
Rangnick told Sky Sports in a separate interview that the final decision was out of his hands.
“In the end, it’s both Erik’s and also Cris’s decision what they want to do,” he said. “It is not for me to speak about that but, today, the performance of Cris was really great.”
With Ronaldo scoring eight of United’s last nine league goals, Rangnick conceded that team are too reliant on him but said the club would focus on signing new strikers in the summer.
“Right now, we very much rely on Cristiano, he also showed a good performance when Chelsea were in possession,” Rangnick added. “But there has to be a focus on bringing in a couple of new strikers for sure.”
Dutchman Ten Hag will replace Rangnick on the bench at the end of the season.
United are sixth in the league on 55 points, five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
