Cristiano Ronaldo will not be among the Manchester United players who will depart for Thailand on Friday to begin their pre-season tour, according to reports.
Portugal forward will not be on the flight to Bangkok that is set to depart Manchester at 4.30 p.m. U.K. time on Friday because he has been given more time to address a “family problem.”
Additionally, there is no timeline for Ronaldo’s return to the team because the captain of Portugal wants to compete in the Champions League next season, something Manchester United will not allow him to do.
After playing Liverpool on July 12 in Thailand, United will play Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa in Australia.
On July 25, they are scheduled to return to Manchester.
Ronaldo wants to leave Old Trafford this summer and sign with a team that will compete in the Champions League the following season. The 37-year-old, who has one year left on his contract, is not for sale, according to United.
Ronaldo was scheduled to return to Carrington on Monday, but the club granted him permission to take a lengthy vacation for personal reasons.
He wasn’t at training on Thursday and won’t be traveling to Bangkok on Friday.
Ronaldo returned to United from Juventus last summer and finished the previous campaign with 24 goals across all competitions. But despite Ronaldo’s strong play in front of goal for the Red Devils, United only managed to finish sixth in the Premier League and missed out on Champions League eligibility.
Despite multiple reports that Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Napoli are among the teams interested in the attacker, United has not yet received any official bid from his suitors.
Cristiano Ronaldo misses Champions League football
Ronaldo was once more absent on the third day of Manchester United’s pre-season training at Carrington and didn’t show up on Thursday.
His absence from Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils’ first few days in charge has shocked the team and the club’s fans.
Ronaldo wants to leave the Red Devils, contrary to what the Dutch coach had assumed. Ronaldo was supposed to be the team’s main man for the upcoming season.
The star’s return to Manchester United after leaving for Real Madrid 12 years prior excited the team’s supporters. However, he has asked to be allowed to leave the club after recording three assists and 24 goals in 38 games played in all competitions last season.
The goal of the Champions League
Ahead of the Qatar World Cup in 2022, Ronaldo, who is 37 years old, is looking for a squad that will compete in the Champions League.
His decision to quit the Red Devils this summer was mostly motivated by this, therefore he wouldn’t even consider reducing his pay to play Europa League football at Old Trafford.
Manchester United will participate in the Europa League in the upcoming campaign thanks to their sixth-place finish in the Premier League. And Ronaldo, who has five Champions League championships to his name and is the competition’s leading scorer with 140 goals, took a significant hit from this.
