Cristiano Ronaldo plots January transfer... and could actually depart Manchester United this time

Cristiano Ronaldo has got his eye on a January move away from Manchester United after becoming a regular substitute under Erik ten Hag.

The Portuguese forward became the story of the summer transfer window when it emerged that he was actively seeking a move away from the club.

The transfer never materialised and now the new coach is left with a very delicate situation on his hands.

As has been reported by The Telegraph, that situation could come to an end in January if the former Real Madrid man gets what he is after, with the club said to be willing to let him leave after the World Cup.

Lack of minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo

The forward has started just one Premier League match under Ten Hag so far this season, instead being limited to five substitute appearances which have added up to 207 minutes.

He made plenty of headlines by being an unused substitute in the 6-3 battering that Manchester United suffered on Sunday afternoon against rivals Manchester City.

Ten Hag stressed in the summer that he would like to have Ronaldo in the squad but that stance may now be softening given he clearly favours other forwards and the media circus around Ronaldo cannot be helpful.

The Dutch manager has come under fire following his explanation for not using Ronaldo at the Etihad.

He said he didn't use the Portuguese icon at the Etihad Stadium "out of respect for Cristiano, for his big career".

United started the season under Ten Hag very poorly but they then put together a run of four Premier League wins, including victories over Liverpool and high-flying Arsenal.

The 6-3 defeat to Manchester City, though, has shown that there is still a lot of development for the squad and coach to do together before they can begin thinking of challenging for Premier League titles.