Will Manchester United sign a new player after Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit?

Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has confirmed that he would like to sign a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo in the January transfer window but has insisted that he will only make a move to strengthen his squad in attack if he feels the right player is available at the right price.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal eliminated from the World Cup by Morocco

Ronaldo, whose participation in what will surely be his final World Cup came to an end on Saturday as Portugal lost to Morocco in the quarter-finals, had his contract with Manchester United terminated last month. The Portugal captain endured a turbulent end to his second spell at Old Trafford, with his controversial quotes in an interview with British TV personality Piers Morgan, in which he criticised the club and a number of its key figures, including its owners and Ten Hag, the final straw for the Manchester club.

The Dutch boss was asked during United’s warm-weather training camp in Jerez, Spain, whether he was looking to sign another striker and responded: “Yes, but only when we find the right player. We will do everything in our power. We are doing research at every opportunity and we will do everything we can to sign them if that opportunity is there.”

Could Manchester United sign Gonçalo Ramos or Cody Gakpo?

With the World Cup having been in full flow and coming to its conclusion in the next seven days, the Red Devils have inevitably been linked with some of the tournament’s stand-out performers, including Ronaldo’s compatriot Gonçalo Ramos and Netherlands’ attacker Cody Gakpo.

The Dutch connection has strengthened rumours that Ten Hag is ready to make a move for the latter, who United were reportedly interested in last summer before ultimately signing Antony from Ajax instead.

Asked outright about whether PSV star Gakpo was one of the players on his radar, Ten Hag was typically coy in his response: “I cannot give comments on specific players. I will never do that. Players have contracts and I respect that but be sure we are working in the background to get the right players in.”

Ten Hag has few striking options to work with on his roster, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial the only experienced players capable of playing the centre-forward role. Ronaldo scored 27 goals in 54 games in his second spell at Old Trafford but found the net just once in 10 Premier League appearances, most of which came as a substitute, in 2022-23 before leaving the club.