Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, was noticeably absent to listen to the debrief by coach Erik ten Hag after the match against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday at Old Trafford.
The wantaway Ronaldo, whose reports have dominated the headlines lately, insisting he wants to explore new challenges away from Old Trafford, was the first time he joined the squad since United kickstarted their preseason tour.
The 37-year-old according to reports, wants a club where he will be privileged to play in the UEFA Champions League this season following the failure of United to qualify last season after finishing 6th place.
Several clubs have earlier signified their interest in Portugal’s national team captain but later distanced themselves from a possible move despite Ronaldo agreeing to forfeit 30% of his weekly earnings.
Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich were reportedly interested in the player but United kept on reinstating their stance that their prized assets, who scored 24 goals in all competitions last season, is not for sale.
Undeterred by the decision from adamant United, Ronaldo still kept on pushing, slating a meeting with the club’s management with Sir Alex Ferguson and Jorge Mendes, his representative, present.
All through the time the melodrama ensued, Ronaldo was avoidably absent from the club’s pre-season tour and Carrington training base.
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However, the forward returned to the squad in a 1-1 scoreline against Rayo Vallecano where he was substituted after the first half.
Prior to his substitution, Ronaldo had a tiff with Ten Hag on the sideline which speculatively resulted in the player leaving the pitch 10 minutes before the match ended.
Reacting to the incident, a source in the club who condemned the action by Ronaldo said he disappointed several people that wanted to see him.
“It is not a good look to leave early when you have been involved in the squad,” the source told the media.
“It is different if you are up in the stands and not involved.
“You would expect someone who has played in the game to be in the changing rooms at the end to listen to the manager’s thoughts.
“Also a lot of people were there to see him and he was not even involved in the clapping of the fans after the final whistle,” he added.
Manchester United open the Premier League season against Brighton on Sunday at Old Trafford but it is not clear if Ten Hag will list Ronaldo in the starting lineup having failed to feature in all but one pre-season game.
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