Cristiano Ronaldo did not show up to Manchester United training at Carrington on Monday morning, citing ‘family reasons’ as his explanation which the club have reportedly accepted ahead of the player’s departure from Old Trafford.
Ronaldo’s absence comes just days after news broke that the 37-year-old has formally asked Manchester United he would like to leave the club should a suitable offer come in this summer.
Players reported at the club’s training ground in Carrington at 9am on Monday morning, but shortly before it became apparent that the arrival of Ronaldo was not expected and United have accepted his absence due to ‘family reasons’.
#mufc say Cristiano Ronaldo is not expected back today 'due to family reasons and the club has accepted this explanation'.
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) July 4, 2022
The chaos could not have come at a worse time for new manager Erik ten Hag, who will fly off alongside his squad to Thailand on Friday ahead of a pre-season clash against Liverpool in Bangkok.
In his first season back at the club since his high profile departure in 2009, Ronaldo was named Manchester United’s Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year after registering 24 goals across all competitions.
The Portuguese international scored 18 of those in the Premier League which ranked third for the 2021/22 season, behind only Mohamed Salah and Heung min Son who shared the Golden Boot.
However, despite an impressive individual season it has become apparent that United are unable to match Ronaldo’s ambition and with time running out before the end of his career, he would like a new challenge – preferably at a Champions League side.
Bookmakers Paddy Power are set on the striker joining Bayern Munich before the transfer window shuts that they are offering odds as short as 9/4. That means a £20 bet would return £65 including your stake.
The Bundesliga champions are expected to offload Poland international Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, with Ronaldo open to filling that void under Julian Nagelsmann and competing for a sixth Champions League title.
Elsewhere, Arsenal and Chelsea have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to sign Leeds United winger Raphinha, as the 25-year-old looks set to be joining Barcelona this summer.
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