As a result of the Portugal striker needing further time off to deal with a personal matter, it has been decided that Cristiano Ronaldo will not accompany Manchester United on their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.
On Monday, when the club’s international players were welcomed to Carrington by the club’s new manager, Erik ten Hag, for the beginning of pre-season training, Ronaldo was not there.
The forward had informed the club that he was dealing with a family situation but did not show up for work on Thursday.
As a consequence of this, Ronaldo will not be travelling to Bangkok with the party that departs on Friday, and it is still unknown when he will be reunited with Manchester United. United will play Liverpool in Thailand on Tuesday before departing for Australia.
It was revealed over the weekend that the 37-year-old had sought to leave Old Trafford after becoming dissatisfied with his performance since returning there the previous year.
United finished sixth in the Premier League, which was not good enough to earn a spot in the Champions League.
Despite the alleged interest from Chelsea and Napoli, United is certain that Ronaldo will remain a member of their roster for the next season.
“Cristiano Ronaldo will not be travelling with the Manchester United squad as we prepare to embark on our pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia on Friday,” the club said. “He has been allowed further time off to deal with a family matter,” a representative for United told the Manchester Evening News.
“Cristiano is not for sale. He is under contract for another season with Manchester United.”
Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions last season and was named the club’s Player of the Year, but United’s wait for a first trophy since 2017 dragged on.
