Cristiano Ronaldo’s remarkable return to Manchester United has split opinion among Liverpool fans.
It was announced on Friday that the 36-year-old Portuguese forward will rejoin his former club, after initially attracting interest from Manchester City.
It is another significant story in this bizarre transfer window that has seen Lionel Messi join PSG and Kylian Mbappe the subject of offers from Real Madrid.
Still one of the best footballers in the world, Ronaldo's move has had a mixed reaction from Reds supporters, between those who believe it will leave United overly-reliant on an ageing player and fans who are more concerned over the potential impact on Liverpool and the Premier League landscape.
Here is what supporters have been saying on social media:
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have predominantly focused on signing young players over recent years, with the more experienced Raphael Varane a notable exception.
With Edinson Cavani having only one year left on his contract, United had been linked with a move for Erling Haaland next summer, with Mason Greenwood and Anthony the club’s other striking options.
While signing Ronaldo isn’t a long-term plan, he is still a guaranteed goalscorer, having scored 29 goals in 33 league games last season.
However, that was only enough for the Turin side to scrape Champions League qualification.
Whether it is enough to put United firmly in the title picture remains to be seen.
But it is undoubtedly another demonstration of the financial powers that Liverpool are up against domestically.
Ibrahima Konate remains Jurgen Klopp’s sole signing from RB Leipzig for £36m, while Manchester City signed Jack Grealish for a British transfer record and Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea for £97.5m.
Transfer deadline day is fast approaching, with clubs having until 11pm on Tuesday, 31 August to bring in new recruits.
