'Man United need to change things, even if it means selling Ronaldo,' claims Danny Murphy

Former Liverpool star, Danny Murphy has opened up on the future of footballing superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford - urging the club management to make the difficult decision to sell the striker in the summer.

Ronaldo who returned to Manchester United after a gap of 12 years from Juventus last summer has enjoyed a successful return so far, scoring 18 goals in 32 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils so far.

United as a team however have been poor in all competitions this season, having been knocked out of the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and the UEFA Champions League while they find themselves battling it out for a fourth place spot, with the club currently placed fifth in the Premier League, four points behind Arsenal - who have played a game lesser than them.

It is expected that there will be a major overhaul in the squad in the summer and Murphy believes for United to progress, they will need to sell Ronaldo.

"Something radical needs to change at Manchester United even if it means important players like Cristiano Ronaldo being sold. You have to be careful dealing with superstars on big contracts, it’s better to find other takers before you fall out with them," he told DailyMail.

"But the bigger picture is that United have gone five years without a trophy and need to back a top manager who is there for the long haul. Those guys will want to do things their own way and a clear-out makes sense, headed by Paul Pogba and Ronaldo.

"You can’t question Ronaldo’s quality but he’s 37 and, despite his goals, United don’t have balance as a team. They rely on Ronaldo’s individual brilliance, which can work in some games, but doesn’t against the best teams in the Premier League and Champions League," the former midfielder added.

It will be interesting to see what United decide to do in the summer, considering that Ronaldo will have another year to run on his contract at the club and that they might find it difficult to sell him as not a lot of clubs in the world can afford his massive wages.