Cristiano Ronaldo keen on Real Madrid return if Man United fail to qualify for UCL: Report

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo's frustrations seem to be increasing at Manchester United as he is reportedly seeking a move away from Old Trafford this summer. Reports claim that the Portuguese captain is keen on leaving the Red Devils if they fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.

As things stand in the Premier League table, Manchester United are currently in fourth place with 38 points and are two points ahead of seventh-placed Tottenham, but have played two games more.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo leave Manchester United this summer?

According to the Catalan newspaper, El Nacional, Cristiano Ronaldo has instructed his agent Jorge Mendes to initiate discussions with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez about a potential return to the club. The 36-year old spent nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu from 2009 to 2018, and in this time he won several honours.

Ronaldo won two La Ligas (2011-12, 2016-17), two Copa del Reys (2010-11, 2013-14) and a staggering four UEFA Champions Leagues (2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18), among several other trophies at Real Madrid. In 2018, he left for Juventus, where he won two Serie A (2018-19, 2019-20), among other honours. Having been a serial winner, the Portuguese's return to Manchester United has been extremely frustrating, with the club struggling to get wins this season.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has also explained previously why new coach Ralf Rangnick struggled to deliver at Manchester United despite having some excellent players in the team. In an interview with Sky Sports, the 36-year old said, "Since (Rangnick) arrived, I think in some ways we are better, but he needs time, it's not that easy to change the mentality of players, the way they play, the system and the culture like that."

Ronaldo added, "So I believe he's going to do a good job. The system is useful, but not if the mentality is not there in the pitch. This is why I say we have a long way to improve because, for me, the most important thing is for you to look at yourself and say: 'I can do better. I can help the team much more.' The system, yes, it's important, details make the huge difference at the end of the day but, for me, the most important thing is the mentality, for you to be strong, to help the team, the right mentality, self-taught positives."

With Manchester United struggling to deliver positive results so far this season, it will be interesting to see if Ronaldo stays at Old Trafford or leaves for another club in the summer. As far as his contract goes, it will expire at the end of the next season.