“A bigger name than him [Ronaldo] these days” - Ex-Manchester United star Lee Sharpe names player who can replace Cristiano Ronaldo as SPL superstar

Former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe has named the player who can replace Cristiano Ronaldo as the superstar in the Saudi Pro League. The ex-winger believes that Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah could be the most important player in the Gulf if he leaves Europe.

There has been a lot of uncertainty around the final year of Salah's contract at Anfield. He has been in brilliant form for the club this season, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 12 Premier League games. However, the Reds forward has yet to extend his stay at the club with a new deal.

This uncertainty has led to rumors of a move to Saudi Arabia in the 32-year-old's future. If Salah does opt for an exit, he will be joining up with football legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and his former teammates Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.

Lee Sharpe believes that this move will happen, with the former Manchester United man telling Racing Tipster (via GOAL):

"I can only imagine Mohamed Salah would go to Saudi Arabia as I don’t think anyone else will be able to afford him. There’s also nowhere else he could go in Europe that’s a bigger club, with a bigger fanbase, crowd and atmosphere than he has at Liverpool – he’s not going to go to Manchester United, that’s for sure!"

Lee Sharpe went on to admit that Mohamed Salah was bigger than Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, adding:

"He’ll likely just want to secure his future and have an easier life in Saudi. If he did go there, he’d be the biggest player in the Saudi Pro League – he’s still young and fit enough to dominate. We see Cristiano Ronaldo doing well over there but I think Salah is a better player and a bigger name than him these days.”

Mohamed Salah has yet to receive a new offer to extend his contract at Liverpool but time will tell if he does make the switch eventually.

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Cristiano Ronaldo tipped to return to Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo has been tipped to return to Manchester United, with the legendary Portuguese striker now in the final year of his contract with Al-Nassr. Ronaldo notably left Old Trafford in November 2022 under acrimonious circumstances, after publicly lashing out at the club's hierarchy and then-manager Erik ten Hag.

The forward joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 and has been with the Saudi giants ever since, winning the Arab Club Champions Cup in the same year. However, his former teammate Louis Saha believes a return could be in the works. Saha told Betfred (via Stretty News):

“I do think Cristiano Ronaldo would love to return to the club in a role where he’s respected. He left the club on somewhat bad terms, so the club’s hierarchy may not want it to happen, but the players and the fans understood what he was trying to say. People can’t say that what he was saying was wrong."

Saha also noted that Ronaldo's friendship with Manchester United's current head coach Ruben Amorim might help things along nicely. However, the Portuguese coach would only look for a move for Ronaldo if he feels the 39-year-old can help the Red Devils, according to Saha.