The 37-year-old made his first pre-season appearance since informing the Red Devils of his desire to leave earlier this month. 2 Cristiano Ronaldo spurned a key chance for Manchester United against Rayo VallecanoCredit: Reuters 2 Portugal international Ronaldo made his first appearance under new manager Erik ten HaagCredit: Reuters Ronaldo was absent from United’s pre-season tour of Asia and Australia for “family reasons”. And after missing the 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is finally back on the pitch for United. The Real Madrid legend should have broken the deadlock in the first half against Spanish rivals Rayo Vallecano. It was met by Donny van de Beek on the edge of the area, with Ronaldo taking a touch just yards from goal. But he mistimed his effort as he hit his left-footed shot high and wide over the bar. It was his only real contribution in front of goal in the match, with the striker coming off at half-time. He then wasted no time getting out of Old Trafford as he headed off 10 minutes before the full-time whistle. Diallo made an immediate impact as he scored just three minutes after the break before Vallecano pulled one back at 1-1. PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW FREE WITH £100,000 PRIZE MONEY However, it was Ronaldo’s spurned chance that proved to be the talk of social media. One user tweeted: “Ronaldo with a miss from inside the area. This is what happens when you spend your preparation on Instagram.” Another posted: “How did Ronaldo miss this???” A third added: “He wants to play Champions League with this kind of shot.” That supporter then joked: “A ball just landed in my garden.” Meanwhile one said: “He’s not sharp. He’s at least 2 weeks behind his best.” Another simply declared: “It’s really over.”
