Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Man Utd HQ out back exit as stance clear after showdown talks

Wantaway Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo met with key personnel at the club’s Carrington training center, including the club’s most successful manager, to discuss his future.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager, appears to be failing in his attempt to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford next season.

According to the Daily Star, Ferguson, who signed Ronaldo for the first time in 2003, spoke to Ronaldo on Tuesday about his immediate future after the Portuguese superstar informed the club that he wanted to go to play Champions League football.

Fergie, 80, was at Carrington for a board meeting, which coincided with Ronaldo’s first visit to Manchester since the conclusion of last season.

Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes flew back to Manchester from Lisbon on Monday night to hold crunch meetings with Erik ten Hag and club executives after missing the team’s pre-season tour owing to personal reasons. United executives believed that Fergie, who was important in bringing Ronaldo back to the club last summer, could persuade their former superstar to stay for the final year of his £500,000-a-week contract.

It was a desperate gamble by United, who have maintained that Ronaldo is not for sale and will not be moving. However, the Portuguese legend is still hesitant to commit to another season at United and is keen to find a new club before the transfer market shuts.

The 37-year-old informed United that he intended to quit at the start of the summer because he does not believe the team is good enough to contend for major prizes. And the fact that he didn’t train with his teammates and showed up with Mendes at his side suggests he’s plotting a way out of United.

Ronaldo arrived at Carrington at 11 a.m., with Mendes in the passenger seat, and was last seen leaving hours later at 4:55 p.m., but by the rear exit. Ronaldo was spotted alone in the front seats, thus it was unclear whether Mendes was in his car on the way out.

Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen has stated that he and Ten Hag are a good fit at United. The Danish midfielder joined the club on a free transfer after recovering from heart difficulties for Brentford last season. “Obviously, speaking with the manager and hearing his ideas and having chats on football terms was amazing and ideal for me to get the decision and the prospect of coming to Manchester United,” he told the club’s website.

“I’m a guy who wants to play football, and I believe that with the manager’s arrival and the ideas he had, as well as my chats with him, I could picture myself playing football in Manchester. At the same time, it’s a very large club, if not the largest. They know where it’s from and where the locals come from if you pronounce it anywhere. It has a long history, and it’s an honor to be a part of something so significant in history.

“I believe my style of play will complement his ideas and, hopefully, will connect in a positive and constructive way. So, of course, I think his football style suits me.”