Man Utd insist Ronaldo going nowhere despite star's transfer wish
FT Desk
- 26 Jul 2022 13:50 CDT
- 3 min read
Manchester United are ready to double down on Cristiano Ronaldo's future at the club and will not sanction a transfer away from Old Trafford this summer.
The ex-Real Madrid and Juventus star informed the Red Devils at the start of the transfer window that he did not want to remain for the 2022-23 season.
He subsequently missed their tour of Australia and the far east, before reporting to training on Tuesday to finally begin pre-season preparations.
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Former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was also a surprise guest at Carrington, and the Telegraph reports that the training ground played host to negotiations between Ronaldo and his club.
But the day's talks ended in stalemate as United delivered a clear message: Ronaldo is part of their first-team plans for the coming season.
Ronaldo is equally determined to engineer a move away, with Bayern Munich and Chelsea mentioned as two possible destinations which would deliver his desire to play Champions League football.
Whatever happens with the veteran star, he now seems hard-pressed to make United's Premier League opener against Brighton in August, having played no part in pre-season to date.
Ten Hag's views on Ronaldo
Manager Erik ten Hag has been a vocal supporter of Ronaldo since taking over at United and insisted that he was keen to start working with the striker.
"Concerning is maybe not the right word," the manager said when asked about Ronaldo's lack of preparation.
"I focus on the players who are there and they are doing really well. They are in good shape and I have further focus on that and develop that.
"I cannot wait for (Ronaldo) to come in and then we will integrate him."
