Over the course of the transfer window, Cristiano Ronaldo made it clear he wanted to leave Manchester United so he could play in the Champions League.
This led to him being linked with moves to Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and even his former side Sporting CP, but no one came forward with an offer.
There were also claims that Manchester United could try and swap involving the Portuguese star and Victor Osimhen at Napoli, but that never took off, seemingly orchestrated out of desperation by Jorge Mendes.
Either way, the forward is still at Old Trafford, where he has had to make do with coming off the bench as Erik ten Hag’s side start to find their feet with four wins on the trot following two bad defeats at the start of the season.
The 3-1 win against Arsenal showed just why the Manchester United manager is reluctant to start Ronaldo, who was visibly frustrated at failing to find the back of the net when he did eventually make it onto the pitch.
Either way, he will not be playing in the Champions League, which Emmanuel Petit, speaking to Le Parisien, isn’t entirely surprised about.
He said: “It’s going to be strange, but it’s somewhat logical. He’s never missed this competition. That’s why he tried to force his exit from Manchester United, but it also corresponds to the player he’s becoming. He is no longer at the same standard.
“At 37 years of age, that he doesn’t play the Champions League doesn’t shock me. If he was still a crazy threat for opponents, he wouldn’t have had any difficult in finding a new club. His age was a considerable hurdle, as well as his wages.”
