Will Cristiano Ronaldo leave Man Utd in January? Portugal star’s stats this season compared to Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future with Manchester United has been in doubt since the 2021/22 campaign came to an end, with the forward making his desire to leave the club clear.

Despite only rejoining the Red Devils in the summer of 2021 and going onto finish the campaign as their top goalscorer, Ronaldo was eager to return to the Champions League after United failed to claim a top four finish.

Ronaldo was linked with the likes of Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon and Inter Milan over the summer, however he has remained at Old Trafford and has so far spent much of the season on the bench.

His manager, Erik ten Hag, was accused of ‘disrespecting’ Ronaldo after failing to bring him on in their humiliating 6-3 defeat to Man City at the weekend.

With the 37-year-old’s name still the topic of discussion in the Premier League, a departure from United could still be on the cards.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo leave Man Utd in January?

According to The Telegraph, Cristiano Ronaldo is hoping to leave United in the January transfer window and Ten Hag will not stand in the way of his departure.

The Dutchman had hoped to keep the Portugal international at the club, however he is now willing to part ways, with Ronaldo seemingly surplus to requirements.

Ronaldo has made only one start in the Premier League under Ten Hag. With his contract expiring next summer, he could leave United shortly after the World Cup comes to an end.

How has Ronaldo compared to Messi this season?

With Ronaldo and Lionel Messi joining United and PSG respectively in the summer of 2021, all eyes were on the two football legends to see how they would fare.

Despite struggles throughout the campaign, both stars bagged over 20 goal contributions in the league in a season that saw each club under-perform.

However, the 2022/23 campaign has been very different for both players.

With PSG currently sitting top of Ligue 1 after an unbeaten start, Messi has started every match so far as the Argentine continues to form a brilliant relationship with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar up top.

The 35-year-old has claimed five goals and seven assists in the league so far and looks on course to beat his tally from last season.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has featured six times in the Premier League - five of which came from the bench - but is yet to pick up a goal or an assist.

His one start came in their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Brentford back in August.

Their European football campaigns have been similiar so far, with both players scoring one goal in two matches.

PSG have won both of their Champions League group stage fixtures so far, with Messi scoring his only goal in their 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa.

United have picked up three points so far, with Ronaldo scoring a penalty against FC Sheriff.

Finally, the former Barcelona winger has been on fire for Argentina since the summer, scoring 10 goals in their three international friendlies.

Ronaldo narrowly missed out on the Nations League finals with Portugal, after falling to defeat against Spain last week.