Speaking to Genting Casino, Jaap Stam has called for clarity on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future.
“Well, you don’t want to have too much confusion within the squad straightaway, especially when you’re starting as a new manager,” he said.
“You’re working with one of the best players in the world. He’s been doing very well, last season scoring a lot of goals.
“I was hoping that Ronaldo was going to stay because I think he could be very important for the club.
“I think Ronaldo is still one of the best players at United. Even when he’s not scoring, he’s always making the opposition aware of him and they always need to pay him a lot of attention which creates opportunities and space for other players.
“I assume that ten Hag spoke with him about the new season. I don’t know exactly what happened, but it looks like Ronaldo wants to make a move and play somewhere else next season, which I think is a shame.
“If the player has said that he wants to leave, although it’s very tough for the manager and for the club and especially for the fans, then the situation doesn’t need to drag on that long.
“United need to make a decision as a club and find a way to deal with his departure. The manager needs to build his squad and understand who he will be working with.
“United don’t want to be in a situation where they have been using other players up front, and those players that have been performing are all of a sudden dropped because Ronaldo didn’t get his move and he needs to play.”