Five times Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo missed Manchester United’s pre-season workouts for the third day in a row, leaving the club unsure about his status for the team’s pre-season trip to Asia and Australia.
After letting the club know on Saturday that he wants to depart this summer, Ronaldo claimed that family issues are responsible for his absences on Monday and Tuesday, and he once more skipped training on Wednesday.
Erik ten Hag is getting ready for his team to leave on their preseason tour on Friday, with the first match scheduled for Bangkok against Liverpool on July 12.
However, officials are unsure if Ronaldo will travel with his teammates at this time. The superstar is attracting interest from Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Napoli. Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boehly has already met with agent Jorge Mendes to discuss a potential transfer.
In recent weeks, Mendes has also spoken with teams like Bayern and Serie A powerhouse Napoli to see if there is a market for his client, but as of right now, no deal has been reached.
The United players showed up for practice on Wednesday, but Ronaldo was once more not there because he hadn’t visited Carrington since the summer break.
Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t show up also today for Man United training, told the club he’s still “dealing with personal/family issue” 🔴🇵🇹 #MUFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 5, 2022
Jorge Mendes, exploring options to find an official proposal as soon as possible. Man Utd, still on same position. pic.twitter.com/OuCfiFtIWy
In response to his worries that United are not moving forward quickly enough, Ronaldo has informed the Red Devils that he desires to depart this summer should they receive an acceptable offer.
The 37-year-old still feels a connection to the team, but at this point in his career, he wants to be competing in the Champions League and does not see that happening at Old Trafford. United hasn’t had any inquiries and the club had said Ronaldo is not for sale.
They have emphasized that the striker is still bound by his contract and they expect him to carry it through. Despite his agent negotiating with other teams in recent weeks, there is only a small market for a player making about £480,000 per week.
Ten Hag has been speaking with every United player as he welcomes them back to training, and he is eager to chat with Ronaldo to understand his displeasure. The Portuguese superstar, who scored more goals for Manchester United last season with 24 goals, than other United players, is a part of the Dutch coach’s strikeforce plans, and United’s transfer policy has mirrored that.
The 34-year-old is a player who every coach would want on his team because of his amazing goal-scoring abilities.
