Man United dodged a Cristiano Ronaldo transfer repeat and Gary Lineker just proved it

In November 2022, Manchester United made a crucial decision to back their manager over one of their most respected players.

Cristiano Ronaldo was released by the Reds for a controversial interview with Piers Morgan where he attacked everything from Erik ten Hag to the Glazers and Gary Neville. It was a momentous occasion in the Dutchman's tenure but led to one hell of a gap forming in the squad.

Without Ronaldo, United were lacking a focal point at the head of the attack. However, it was clear that the Portuguese icon did not have the ability to play the way Ten Hag wanted.

READ MORE: Lineker criticises Kane's performance

READ MORE: Ronaldo is already shaping possible United transfer

He could not lead a press from the front of the attack like he could during his Real Madrid heyday. Ultimately he became lost at the top of the pitch, working off scraps and getting easily frustrated.

Wout Weghorst was signed as a stop-gap with the focus firmly on the 2023 summer transfer window to bring in Ronaldo's replacement. Top of the list for Ten Hag was Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.

Kane is a goal machine and Spurs were unwilling to let him leave for a Premier League rival. Eventually, the 30-year-old decided that a move to Bayern Munich would be best for his career.

United were unlikely to be realistically in the running to sign Kane considering the price that Tottenham demanded but perhaps it is just as well. Fast forward to the present day and the England captain is receiving heavy criticism from pundits for his inability to press from the front.

One of his chief critics following the 1-1 draw to Denmark was Gary Lineker. He explained that if he was Gareth Southgate, he would be having a word with Kane about his performances.

"Why do England not play the high press? They might play it for about three minutes in a game. Are they not coached to play that? You feel a little bit guilty for Harry Kane. Can you do it with Harry Kane that way? I think you can," Lineker told The Rest Is Football podcast.

"You've got to say to your striker Harry - however good he is - 'You've got to buy into this Harry, you don't need to do too much but it needs to come from your forward player'. There are pros and cons to Harry and the fact is, he's an unbelievable finisher.

"And if you were 1-1 in the semi-final of the Euros and you had a man going through one-on-one on goal, you'd want it to be Harry Kane all day long. He's brilliant, I love him and I always have. It makes you feel a little bit guilty to be critical about him, but I watched him today and I don't think I saw a sprint and I don't know why."

As Lineker points out, Kane is an unbelievable finisher but his insistence on dropping deep and cluttering the midfield would have led to similar problems that we saw with Ronaldo. United would not have had an outlet to hit at the top of the pitch and it would have forced them back as we witnessed on Thursday evening.

While Rasmus Hojlund had a rocky season, he at least offers United a player at the top of the pitch who is not going to be dragged into a midfield battle. From what we are witnessing at Euro 2024, the Reds have avoided signing the wrong player for their system once again.