After their humiliating 6-3 loss to city rivals Manchester City on Sunday, Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag have made an early decision regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's future at the club.

The veteran forward will be permitted to leave Old Trafford during the January transfer window, as decided by the Red Devils and their manager.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus goal-machine pushed for an exit from the club over the summer, but United were reluctant to let him go.

The 37-year-old striker’s future at Old Trafford now looks increasingly in doubt as he has started just one of the club’s seven Premier League games so far.

The Telegraph reports that both the club and the manager have now agreed to let the football icon depart if a suitable offer arrives in January.

According to the report, the Portugal captain believes he will leave Old Trafford before the end of the season but has remained "highly professional" despite his lack of playing time under Ten Hag.

Ronaldo was left on the bench for United’s 6-3 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday but has remained calm.

Chelsea’s new owner, Todd Boehly, was said to have made the move to sign Ronaldo last summer but was prevented by former manager Thomas Tuchel. The report added that the Blues could potentially revisit a deal for Ronaldo this winter.

It’s understood that Ronaldo received a concrete offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal worth in excess of £200 million, but he rejected the move.

Ronaldo was also offered to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich, but all four clubs were not interested.

The 37-year-old pushed to leave United in the summer as he wanted to join a Champions League club, but a move failed to materialise.