Cristiano Ronaldo will not fly out with the rest of the Manchester United squad for their pre-season tour on Friday after being granted additional time off due to a family issue.
The 37-year-old has not attended training under new manager Erik ten Hag this week, despite being expected to return to Carrington on Monday with the rest of United’s international players.
It emerged last weeked that Ronaldo wishes to leave United this summer following their failure to qualify for the Champions League and would like the club to accept a satisfactory offer for his services.
Chelsea are weighing up the possibility of a move for the Portugal international and five-time Ballon d’Or winner. United reiterated again on Thursday that Ronaldo is not for sale and that he still has one year remaining on his existing contract at Old Trafford.
United remain uncertain as to when Ronaldo will rejoin the squad, with no timeframe set on his return from his extended period of leave.
Ten Hag and his players fly out to Bangkok on Friday for a series of games in Thailand and Australia. United kick-off their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign against Liverpool in the Thai capital next Tuesday, before further friendlies against Melbourne City, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa before the end of the tour on 23 July.
Ronaldo informed United earlier this week that he would not return to training when expected due to ‘family reasons’, an explanation which was accepted by the club.
As United’s highest-profile player and arguably the most famous in the world, his absence from the tour will be deemed a commercial blow for the club. Ronaldo is still expected to feature widely in promotions of United’s new home kit, which is set to launch on Friday.
Ronaldo scored 24 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions last season after returning to United in a £12.9m deal from Juventus but his goals did not prevent the club from recording their lowest-ever Premier League points tally, falling to a sixth-place finish.
