‘Big deal!’ – Manchester United legend Roy Keane rejects Anthony Martial credentials to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and says the Red Devils must sign a new striker before selling the Portugal icon

Manchester United legend Roy Keane believes Anthony Martial cannot be Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-term replacement at Old Trafford.

The French striker was due to leave the club this summer but a fine pre-season has raised hopes of a revival.

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With Ronaldo’s future in doubt, Martial appeared to be a key figure for the Red Devils early on.

However, injury saw him miss his opener for Brighton, which is less than ideal with his Portugal team-mate considered fit enough for the bench.

But Keane also believes Martial is not the man to replace with a player on the level of Ronaldo, who is one of the best players to grace the game.

And he believes a new striker should be signed by new manager Erik ten Hag before the transfer window closes to resolve the difficult situation.

He told Sky Sports: “You can’t think Martial is the answer – he’s not. He’s had a decent pre-season – big deal.

“They don’t have enough options [up front]which could change in the coming weeks.

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“But from a footballing point of view, you have to hang on to Ronaldo. You can’t just let him go without the support behind.

United legend Wayne Rooney believes Ronaldo should be sold soon to fund a new striker for the club.

He told The Times: “It will be really interesting to see how Manchester United perform this year. Under Erik ten Hag I think they will improve and the aim must be to get back into the top four.

“However, while Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal have gone from strength to strength and Chelsea are still bringing in players, United remain one or two signings away from having the squad to do so and so much hinges on the final weeks of the game. transfer window.. United are doing everything to bring in Frenkie de Jong and they could definitely do with a midfielder. A No.9 too.

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“I think United should let Cristiano Ronaldo go. It’s not that Ronaldo can’t play in a Ten Hag team. He can play in any team. Ronny will always score you goals. But my personal opinion is that United are not ready to fight for the title now, so the aim must be to build a team that can win the league in the next three to four years, and you have to plan for that.

“If the reports are true that Cristiano wants to leave the club then United should allow him to go and get a No.9 who is going to be there for the next three or four years and really help them build a team that can be crowned with success Ten Hag must have the time to do it.