Cristiano Ronaldo part of Manchester United's project; no intention to terminate contract

Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United is facing further scrutiny but the club have denied speculation his contract will be terminated.

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Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United continues to face further scrutiny, with reports suggesting the Portuguese icon's contract could be terminated if the player does not change his attitude. The 37-year-old icon has 12 months left on his current deal at Old Trafford with an option of a further year.

Amidst speculation of possible contract termination, a spokesperson of Manchester United said, "There is no change in the club's position." So far, the Red Devils' official response to Ronaldo's wish to leave the club for a shot at Champions League glory is that the Portugal international is not for sale.

Meanwhile, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has stated that Manchester United has no plans to part ways with Ronaldo this summer. In an exclusive column on CaughtOffSide, Romano insists that the prolific striker is integral to new manager Erik ten Hag's project.

"Unsurprisingly, the Cristiano Ronaldo speculation continues, with some talk now of Manchester United possibly terminating his contract," Romano said. "However, my understanding so far, based on what's emerging from Manchester United, is that Cristiano Ronaldo is part of the project and there is no intention of parting ways with him. This is the thinking within the club, with Erik ten Hag who has always defended him so far," he added.

"Certainly, the Ronaldo situation has not been easy to manage for two months now, but I believe that the main problems for Manchester United are in other areas," Romano concluded.

Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure during Manchester United's appalling 4-0 defeat at Brentford, which left Erik ten Hag's side bottom of the Premier League table. Meanwhile, Ten Hag ordered his players in for extra training on Sunday and wanted to make them run 13.8 kilometres during training because Brentford's players ran that much further than them during Saturday's defeat.