One of the great attractions of Manchester United today is the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, at least for the match against Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid on July 30 in Oslo, Norway, the Portuguese will not be present.
Erik Ten Hag's era as Red Devils manager needs good results soon to generate confidence in the battered United fans, who celebrated their last title in the 2016-2017 season. Since then, drought and sadness.
So far this preseason, Manchester United has held 4 friendly matches in which they have obtained good results: victories over Liverpool (4-0, in Thailand), Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace (in Australia both games), and draw with Aston Villa (2-2, also in Australia).
The reason for Cristiano Ronaldo's absence with Manchester United
In one of the hottest stories of the summer transfer market, it has been reported that CR7 has asked to leave the Red Devils because the team, despite the Portuguese's 24 goals, failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, a competition that Ronaldo does not want to miss.
Since his arrival at Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag has not been able to count on Cristiano Ronaldo for a single day. The Portuguese was not with the team in the friendly tour of Thailand and Australia, nor did he travel with the squad to Oslo to face Atletico Madrid.
The reason for Cristiano's absence from the tour of Thailand and Australia was for family reasons, according to statements by Ten Hag reported by Sky Sports. With a gap in physical work compared to his teammates, the reason the former Real Madrid player will not be with United against Atletico is to focus on his fitness in England, according to the Mirror.
What is a fact is that the Erik Ten Hag era is facing its first big rival and that is at home, with the lack of clarity regarding the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who guarantees a good quota of goals per year despite being at the end of his career.
