Man Utd in dark about Ronaldo return to training

Manchester United still have no idea as to when Cristiano Ronaldo will return to training as the squad prepare to depart for their pre-season tour to Thailand on Friday.

The Portugal forward was granted special permission to delay his return to the club’s Carrington training ground for “family reasons” but club chiefs have yet to be informed as to when he will come back.

It is understood that due to the nature of his absence he is not at risk of being fined by the club, but with only two days until they fly out to Bangkok there are doubts over whether he will be on the plane.

Another player unlikely to be on the flight is Christian Eriksen. The club have agreed a three-year deal with the former Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan midfielder but it has yet to be finalised. Everything around the deal is said to be progressing positively but it is not expected for the 30-year-old to be a part of Friday’s travelling squad.

Meanwhile, United are continuing to work on a deal for Frenkie de Jong despite the Barcelona president saying on Wednesday that the midfielder was not for sale. Speaking at the presentation of the new signing Franck Kessie, Joan Laporta said: “Frenkie is not for sale. He is a Barcelona player. We don’t want to transfer him.”

United sources maintain that that has not been the stance of the La Liga side after being in positive and open talks over a transfer of the Dutchman.

However, there are complexities over the deal and there is no suggestion that it will be resolved in the coming days to allow the midfielder to leave with the team to fly to Bangkok.

Another player who is not likely to be on the plane is the United midfielder Andreas Pereira. The Brazilian spent last season on loan at Flamengo and is set to make a permanent move to Fulham.

It is understood that a deal has been agreed for £8 million with £2 million in add-ons. Pereira joined the United youth ranks in 2011 and made 75 first-team appearances for the club, winning the FA Cup in 2016.

The former United midfielder Jesse Lingard is set to travel to the US to listen to interest from Major League Soccer teams before deciding where to play next season. He left the club as a free agent at the end of the season and there is interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including West Ham United, where he had a successful loan spell two seasons ago, and Everton.

But the 29-year-old is keeping his options open while he works out where he’ll get more playing time as he aims to push himself back into the England squad before the World Cup in December