Cristiano Ronaldo sends Man Utd another huge red flag
Robin Bairner
- 1 Aug 2022 07:51 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo made his Manchester United return on Sunday in a 1-1 friendly draw with Rayo Vallecano, but the Portuguese dropped another hint that he will soon be on his way.
Ronaldo only returned to training in the middle of last week and there was no certainty that he would feature in this friendly, which was mainly for the club’s younger and fringe players. It also gave Lisandro Martinez the opportunity to play at Old Trafford for the first time.
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The Portuguese endured a difficult 45 minutes, in which his lack of sharpness was apparent, and was replaced by Amad Diallo at the break. This change would have been planned, but the forward would surely like to have been sharper.
Having been substituted, it is reported by Sky Sports that Ronaldo then left Old Trafford early.
Ronaldo's actions at odds with Ten Hag's ethic
Although Manchester United have subsequently released a statement indicating that there was no breach of discipline on the part of the attacker, this is a stance that is at odds with the disciplinarian attitude of manager Erik ten Hag.
The former Ajax boss has cracked down on numerous small indiscretions in his squad and appears to be the type of leader who would expect his players to do his team-mates the courtesy of watching the duration of a pre-season friendly.
And even if Man Utd are genuine in their response that players were free to leave before the end of the match, if the ultra-professional Ronaldo really was not pushing for a move away from the club, as his social media interactions in recent days appear to have claimed, he would surely have remained at the ground and watched the end of the fixture.
Ronaldo appears unlikely to play a leading role in the Premier League opener against Brighton next Sunday, while his transfer options still appear to be thin on the ground as the summer window enters its final month.
