Erik ten Hag has reiterated that Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale, despite the fact that the star wishes to leave Manchester United for a Champions League playing club.
At his first pre-game press conference as United manager before their match against Liverpool in Thailand on Tuesday, Ten Hag was bombarded with inquiries from the assembled media regarding the 37-year-old and his future at Old Trafford.
In spite of Ronaldo’s return to United in the previous summer, the team had a terrible campaign, changing coaches, and ending sixth in the Premier League.
Although Ronaldo’s representatives have made it obvious recently that the player wants to leave United in order to play Champions League football next season, Ronaldo’s options are restricted and United has been staunch in their wish to publicly keep him.
Erik ten Hag emphasized this several times as he spoke with the media, revealing that his absence from the preseason tour, which also takes United to Australia, was due to personal concerns.
“He’s not with us due to personal issues,” Erik Ten Hag said. “We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season and that’s it. I’m looking forward to working with him.
“I don’t know [how to make him happy], he hasn’t told me this. But Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale, he’s in our plans and we want to get success together.”
Ten Hag said that he has spoken with Ronaldo since being named manager, but he also hinted that there hasn’t been any communication since the news of his wish to quit the club broke at the end of last month.
“I spoke with him, but before this issue came up,” he added. “We had a real good talk, but that is between Cristiano Ronaldo and me.
“I cannot tell [if Ronaldo will join the pre-season tour] because of the reasons I’ve already explained.”
The team is looking to “strike” on available transfer targets in midfield and attack, Ten Hag added.
In recent hours, Chelsea, one of the teams that appeared to have the best chance of signing the former Real Madrid star, has been excluded from any potential competition for his services.
Thomas Tuchel reportedly ordered the London club’s management to rule out the possibility of signing the captain of Portugal, according to Sky Sports.
Cristiano Ronaldo Transfer Saga
Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to be absent from Manchester United after he was absent from practice last Tuesday. Italian football journalist and transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano claimed that the star attacker informed the Premier League team that he is still “dealing with personal/family matters.”
Ronaldo will likely not travel with the team on its preseason trip of Thailand because he skipped the previous practice for the same reason. The former Real Madrid player reportedly already voiced a wish to quit after United were denied a place in the UEFA Champions League.
Before the 2021–22 season, Ronaldo returned to United from Juventus for a rumored sum of about 15 million euros. The 37-year-old, who is the team’s leading scorer with 24 goals and three assists in 38 games, lived up to his star status. United were sixth in the Premier League standings despite his goals. And the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner does not want to play in the Europa League.
Ronaldo may possibly sign with Chelsea, according to rumours, after his agent got in touch with Todd Boehly, a co-owner of the club. Last season, Chelsea finished third in the Premier League, but Romelu Lukaku’s inconsistent play left them without a reliable goal scorer. The Belgian attacker has returned, this time on loan to Inter Milan.
