Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly not travel with the Manchester United squad to Thailand on Friday for the first leg of their pre-season tour.
The Portugal international was initially expected to be back with the Red Devils for pre-season training on Monday, but he has been absent from Carrington this week due to a personal matter.
Ronaldo was also not present on Thursday, throwing his spot in the club's pre-season squad in huge doubt.
According to The Mirror, the 37-year-old will not travel with the Red Devils to Thailand, and he could be absent for their whole tour, with the team also due to play three fixtures in Australia.
Man United's first friendly of the summer will see them take on Liverpool in Bangkok on July 12, before travelling to Australia to face Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
© Reuters
The 20-time English champions will then return to Europe to round off their preparations for the new campaign, taking on Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano at the end of the month.
Man United have allegedly now accepted that Ronaldo will be leaving this summer, with Chelsea believed to be at the head of the queue for his signature.
However, Erik ten Hag's side are unlikely to allow the Portuguese to join a Premier League rival, and there is not thought to be serious interest from Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain despite the recent speculation.
Ronaldo has allegedly asked to leave Man United this summer due to the club's failure to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Meanwhile, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the attacker believes that his club need 'six or seven players' during this summer's transfer window to be competitive next term.
© Reuters
"He is really disappointed by Manchester United's general situation [but] in the market especially. I'm told that Cristiano appreciates Erik ten Hag, he's convinced he's a very good manager, the right man to restart this project," Romano said on his official YouTube channel.
"But it can't be only the manager, it is needed from the club, the board and the owners – a really strong message and statement in the market. They need to sign players. I like the manager, I love the club but I don't feel the ambition. This is the message from Cristiano.
"Cristiano is really happy with some of the players in the team. But he is convinced that some signings are needed – six, seven important players are needed at Manchester United."
Ronaldo was in strong form for the 20-time English champions during the 2021-22 campaign, scoring 24 goals and registering three assists in 37 appearances in all competitions.
The forward still has one year left to run on his contract at Man United, with the option of an additional 12 months, meaning that the Red Devils will have to agree to a sale in order for him to leave.
Matt Law
