Ronaldo had his first appearance under Erik ten Hag on Sunday, when Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Rayo Vallecano – and he was seen departing Old Trafford before the end of the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo has incurred the wrath of Manchester United fans once more after he was seen leaving Old Trafford while the Red Devils were still playing their pre-season match against Rayo Vallecano.
On Sunday, the Portuguese star made his debut appearance for Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils, who were held to a 1-1 draw by their Spanish opponents. All eyes were on Ronaldo, who wants to leave the club this summer, and he only lasted 45 minutes before being substituted at halftime.
And the uncertainty surrounding his future has taken a new turn after he seemed to exit the stadium before the game had even begun. Pictures appeared on social media showed Ronaldo and Diogo Dalot, who was not in the team on Sunday, making their way into the Old Trafford car park as fans tried to take selfies with the wanted man.
Manchester United refused to comment on whether Ronaldo’s early departure was authorized. It undoubtedly raises new concerns about his future. Ronaldo has made no secret of his desire to leave this summer, and this latest incident may aggravate Ten Hag and United fans.
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Due to family obligations, the 37-year-old striker missed United’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, amid allegations that he wants to leave the club. Ronaldo came to United’s training complex earlier this week to meet with new manager Ten Hag about his future.
Ten Hag earlier stated that the 37-year-old is “not for sale” and “in our plans,” although it has been reported that Ronaldo wishes to play in the Champions League. After placing sixth in the Premier League last season, United failed to qualify for this season’s Champions League.
This season, Ten Hag’s team will compete in the Europa League. Ronaldo has a year left on his deal with United after arriving from Juventus last August.
After joining United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, he spent six years at Old Trafford before joining Real Madrid for a then-world record transfer fee of £80 million.
Ronaldo, United’s leading scorer last season with 24 goals, has been practicing at the Portuguese national team’s headquarters in Lisbon. Last week, he returned to the club’s Carrington training camp and has been working hard on his conditioning.
After playing their final pre-season games against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano this weekend, United begin their Premier League campaign at home against Brighton on Sunday.
Ten Hag will have mixed feelings regarding United’s efforts in those two games, with the club losing 1-0 to Atletico Madrid before drawing 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano. This latest issue involving Ronaldo is also giving him a headache.
The Portuguese star delivered an unimpressive performance on Sunday, and it remains to be seen whether he will feature in the Premier League opening next weekend.
