Cristiano Ronaldo made his first pre-season appearance for Manchester United in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano after a summer of speculation over his future.
Footage of Ronaldo leaving Old Trafford before the final whistle emerged on social media, but United have clarified that he was one of many players who did so, and it is not a problem for the club.
Ronaldo, who has told United of his desire to leave the club on several occasions, played the first half before being sent off for eventual goalscorer Amad Diallo.
Image: Cristiano Ronaldo played the first half of United’s pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano
The 37-year-old’s reduced minutes came as no surprise as manager Erik ten Hag admitted Ronaldo is well behind his team-mates in terms of fitness ahead of the game at Old Trafford.
Image: Cristiano Ronaldo was making his first Man Utd appearance of pre-season
“He’s not at the level of the rest of the squad because he missed a lot of weeks,” the Dutchman told Viaplay. “But he needs games and he needs training, a lot.”
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Ronaldo was absent from United’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia while dealing with a family problem and only returned to training on Tuesday, when he and his agent, Jorge Mendes, held further talks about his future.
United insist they will not sanction the sale of the four-time Ballon d’Or winner, who is firmly in Ten Hag’s plans.
Despite Ronaldo’s insistence on leaving, there was no sign of ill will towards him from the Old Trafford faithful, with the fans giving him a standing ovation as he left the tunnel. After the game, he posted on his social media: “Happy to be back.”
It remains unclear where Ronaldo’s potential exit routes lie, with Chelsea no longer looking like an option, while Bayern Munich and Atletico appear to have publicly ruled out a move.
The game against Rayo Vallecano was United’s final pre-season game before their Premier League opener against Brighton next Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Ten Hag: We have made good progress, but there is room for improvement
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has overseen six games in pre-season, losing just one on the road, and has been pleased with the performances but says he expects more development from his new squad.
“Overall, definitely (happy with the pre-season), I think we have a good pre-season and we’re progressing well,” Ten Hag told MUTV. “We are ready for the season, but I know there is still a lot of room for improvement and we have to improve.
“That’s also a process that continues into the season, but for next week it’s also about the result. It was a mix of experience and youth, some guys met each other for the first time today, so what do you expect?
“You saw that the attitude was great, they fought and worked with each other and it was positive. We created a lot of chances, OK, we also conceded chances, but I think we have to be satisfied with the performance.”
Positives for Ten Hag, despite Rayo’s draw
Analysis by Sky Sports’ Richard Morgan:
“With exactly a week to go until Man Utd kick off their Premier League season at home to Brighton, live on Sky Sports, new manager Erik ten Hag will have learned a lot from his latest friendly, the last one before the action kicks off real
“The Dutchman, having seen his new side lose 1-0 to Atletico Madrid 24 hours earlier, fielded a much-changed line-up, although he started with new signing Martínez alongside Varane at the heart of United’s defence, with the Argentinian impressing earlier.be stuck on the hour mark.
“Young Laird also caught the eye at right-back and, interestingly, Ten Hag opted to use both summer signing Eriksen and Van de Beek as holding midfielders in front of their back four.
“The experienced Dane ran the show from the center of the park before also being rested with half an hour to go, but it was youngsters Tahith Chong and Garnacho Ferreyra who really impressed with their energetic attacking performances.
“As for the main man himself, Ronaldo started up front, but after an excellent start, the 37-year-old’s influence began to fade, before he was caught at half-time.”