Ronaldo will not travel with United for pre-season tour
The Portugal international has yet to return to training after his summer break after the club granted him additional time off due to a family issue
Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will not be leaving with Manchester United when they head off on their pre-season tour on Friday.
The Portugal international has yet to return to training after his summer break after the club granted him additional time off due to a family issue.
The club have been left in the dark over when he will return to prepare for the new season and confirmed he would not be part of Friday’s travelling squad.
United fly to Bangkok on Friday to face Liverpool before games in Melbourne and Perth. It is understood the club do not know if he will be able to join up with the group at any stage of the tour due to the nature of his absence.
The Times understands Ronaldo has expressed a desire to leave the club this summer but United‘s stance remains that the 37-year-old is not for sale and reiterated that he has one year left on his contract.
The lack of Champions League football next season is driving Ronaldo’s desire to depart and. Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern and Napoli are among the clubs who might be interested in signing the Portugal international. However, United insist he is not for sale.
Ronaldo rejoined United last summer scoring 24 goals in 37 appearances and despite his affection for the club he is pushing to leave as he does not want to miss out on Champions League football.
The only new signing who is set to be on the plane to Bangkok on Friday is Tyrell Malacia. The left back was confirmed as the first signing of the Erik ten Hag era earlier this week with the club continuing to work on a number of other deals.
Christian Eriksen’s three-year contract is close to completion but sources said it would be unlikely he would be part of Friday’s travelling party.
The club have still yet to complete a deal for their top transfer target Frenkie de Jong. It is understood the hold up is partly down to £17 million in wages owed to the Dutch midfielder from Barcelona that he agreed to be deferred during the pandemic. United sources have described the deal as “complex”.
Ten Hag’s squad fly to Bangkok on Friday and Ronaldo is the only member of the first-team squad that is yet to return to training. They face Liverpool in the Thai capital on Tuesday before flying to Melbourne where they face Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace. The final leg of the tour is in Perth where they face Aston Villa. Friendlies against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano are also scheduled before their opening game of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion.
