Will Cristiano Ronaldo leave Manchester United?

Jorge Mendes has always had incredible power when it came to Cristiano Ronaldo and the transfer market, yet the fact the Portuguese super-agent has publicly claimed the forward is very happy at Manchester United is both unusual and worrying.

Manchester United are facing a crisis in which their team appear not to be working as a cohesive unit, and Ronaldo is being questioned as being the root cause of the problem.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is very happy at Manchester United," Mendes explained in an interview with Sky Sport Italia.

"He's going to continue with his solid, great performances, as always in his career. It's going to be a great season for him, I'm sure."

Uncharted territory for Ronaldo

Ronaldo is considered as one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, however he can't escape Father Time's clutches, and never before in his career has he been in the crosshairs of critics.

Real Madrid went through bad periods whilst Ronaldo was in the team, but nobody dared ever suggest that the Portuguese captain was the problem, his goals were too important and there was so many of them.

The risk to Real Madrid of Ronaldo leaving just wasn't worth thinking about when he was in his prime, and Mendes would only speak when Ronaldo wanted a new contract.

The player had this power, the leverage of him potentially leaving allowed him to dictate terms at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Now, the fact that he isn't as important to United is uncharted territory for him, and perhaps why Mendes has been pushed into action.

Mendes may be trying to keep Ronaldo at United

Whilst in the past Mendes may have spoken to try and force clubs to improve Ronaldo's terms, in this instance is highly probable that he is simply trying to stop United from trying to move him on.

There isn't another club that would pay him an equivalent salary and his only realistic options you feel now would be to MLS.

Being at Manchester United keeps Ronaldo in the limelight, perhaps more than even Juventus did, and it would be disastrous for Mendes if United were to decide to move forward with a younger forward line, especially as reports of an interest in Julian Alvarez emerge.