‘Manchester United must sell these two highly paid players for the good of the team’ – Murphy says

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy has claimed that Manchester United need to make some radical changes to achieve success back again.

The former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder thinks United need to let go of some players, especially superstar duo Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Despite Ronaldo’s goals and individual brilliance, Murphy thinks the 37-year-old may not give United the balance to play against the best teams.

“Something radical needs to change at Manchester United even if it means important players like Cristiano Ronaldo being sold,” Murphy told the Daily Mail.

“You have to be careful dealing with superstars on big contracts, it’s better to find other takers before you fall out with them.

“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, whether it be Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino or someone else.

“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, like Tottenham last Saturday, but doesn’t against the best teams in the Premier League and Champions League. 

“Manchester City and Liverpool have pushed the bar so high, United need both world-class ability and incredible physical output to compete and the latter isn’t in Ronaldo’s game any more.

“For former glories to return to Old Trafford, United’s players need to press and compete for 60 matches a season in addition to the ability they possess. I can’t see Ronaldo being part of that.”