(Football news) Cristiano Ronaldo is set to return to Manchester United’s Carrington training ground to discuss his future with manager Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese forward handed in a transfer request and missed Manchester United’s pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia due to personal reasons. Ronaldo is expected to re-join training and the player doesn’t want to create a transfer saga with the new Premier League season approaching. Erik ten Hag has already reiterated that Ronaldo is “not for sale” and “in our plans” for the 2022/23 season.
Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United was met with much fanfare by the club’s supporters and while the Portuguese superstar had a brilliant individual season, the club’s poor performances, lack of transfer activity and failure to secure Champions League football have been contributing factors that has led to the 37 year old wanting a move away. He has been training at the Portuguese national team's headquarters instead of Carrington this summer, while his agent has been approaching prospective clubs across Europe for a transfer.
Ronaldo has been linked with Chelsea and Bayern Munich but both the clubs have ruled themselves out of a possible transfer. The Portuguese superstar’s age combined with his wage demands are an obstacle for most clubs across Europe. Moreover, his new role as a goal poacher means that the team has to be set up around him and Ronaldo offers little in terms of workrate. It would be very surprising to see Ronaldo featuring in Manchester United’s last two pre-season games against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano and his involvement in the club’s opening Premier League game against Brighton on Sunday 7 August is also doubtful.
It would be in the best interests for both Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo if the Portuguese superstar remains at the club for the 2022/23 season. The Red Devils don’t have enough goalscorers in the team and while Anthony Martial has been promising in pre-season, the Frenchman hasn’t shown enough consistency in his career so far to be considered a reliable option. Moreover, Ronaldo simply doesn’t have enough suitors who are willing to match his wage demands, adapt to his style of play and pay a transfer fee for the 37 year old and he will undoubtedly find it easier to move to a new club as a free agent next year.
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