Cristiano Ronaldo to miss Manchester United pre-season return due to ‘family reasons’: Reports

Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Manchester United's return to pre-season training today due to "family reasons," according to Fabrizio Romano.

BBC Sport has reported that the 37-year-old forward has asked to leave the Red Devils this summer as he still feels he can contribute to a side that will play in the Champions League next summer.

Despite an impressive individual season from the Portuguese superstar in which he scored 24 goals in 38 appearances, the campaign turned out to be a disaster for the club. The Red Devils failed to finish in the Premier League top four or win a trophy.

They came sixth in the league standings and crashed out of both domestic cups (FA Cup and Carabao Cup) in the early rounds. They lost to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in the round of 16.

Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be unimpressed by lack of transfer activity in the summer window. The Red Devils are still awaiting their first signing of the Erik ten Hag era.

According to Italian journalist Romano, Manchester United have accepted Ronaldo's reasoning for not turning up on the first day of pre-season training, with the new Premier League campaign kicking off in just over a month.

Romano also claims that the Red Devils are aware of Ronaldo's desire to leave the club, but they insist he is not for sale and will see out the last year on his current contract.

---

Manchester United will need a striker if Cristiano Ronaldo leave the club this summer

The Red Devils currently have Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo as the three players who can play in the number nine role.

Rashford, however, is far better suited on the wings and has never really shone as a number nine. Martial, who played well in the number nine role in the 2019-20 season, is in a terrible run of form at the moment.

This means that should Ronaldo leave Manchester United this summer, the Red Devils will need to bring in a new forward. It might work out for them as Ten Hag is likely to implement a high-pressing system at Old Trafford, something which might not have been ideal for a 37-year-old Ronaldo.

Moreover, a superstar like Ronaldo might have created more issues if he is to be dropped or rotated by the manager. Ten Hag will likely demand complete authority and would be better able to implement it if he does not have to cater to the stardom of one player.