Man Utd start making calls to sign replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer

The 37-year-old informed the club earlier this week of his desire to retire less than 12 months after his emotional Old Trafford homecoming.

United still publicly insist last season’s 24-goal top scorer is not for sale, but they would reportedly be willing to accept an offer in the region of £13million.

Erik ten Hag is said to have responded with a personal plea to Brian Brobbey, asking him to sign for United and abandon his plan to join Ajax permanently after being loaned out by RB Leipzig last season.

However, according to The Athletic, the Dutch striker is not the only attacking player United have contacted in response to Ronaldo’s shock and ill-timed decision.

United have traveled to the Far East with Ten Hag in a bid to turn to Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, at least in the short term, to resolve their striker crisis.

Ronaldo is unlikely to take part in the tour as he has been given an indefinite hiatus for “family reasons”.

Despite a major setback early in his tenure, Ten Hag insists he has enjoyed the first week of his tenure and is confident he can change the fortunes of a club that has spiraled from crisis to crisis in recent years.

He said: “Obviously I want to bring the energy into my team but I have to say the players are doing really well. You are really focused.

“You bring the energy to yourself. You see, they like to play football. They like to play football together and work really well together.”

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