The striker, who wants to leave the club, had played a first half under the new manager, with Ronaldo having missed the previous five pre-season games due to a family problem. At half-time, Ten Haag replaced the striker with Amad Diallo and was later photographed outside the pitch before the end of the game. But when United were asked if Ronaldo would be allowed to do so, the club were unable to offer clarification. Ten Haag had earlier asked the whole team, whether he was involved or not, to have lunch together and then watch the warm-up match. United had also played on Saturday – a 1-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid in Oslo – the team landing in Manchester at 8am on Sunday. A group of players including Diogo Dalot, Marcus Rashford, Brandon Williams, Anthony Elanga and Tyrell Malacia sat in the managers’ box during the match with other non-playing squad members seen elsewhere at Old Trafford. While Dalot was also in a picture of Ronaldo leaving early, it is unclear whether the latter will face any disciplinary action from Ten Haag. As the manager had not scheduled a post-match conference, the media could not ask. But the player may also not have pleased the 52-year-old with his ‘Sunday the king plays’ comment on Instagram on Friday. As this either revealed sensitive selection news or was hypothetical on Ronaldo’s part, Ten Haag may be disappointed by the implications for discipline and team spirit. The Dutchman offered analysis to MUTV on the actual performance and a pre-season ending with three wins, two draws and one loss as United prepare to host Brighton in Sunday’s 2022-3 tie. “Overall, I’m happy, we had a good preparation,” Ten Hag said. We are making good progress and we are ready for the season, but still I know there is a lot of room for improvement and we have to improve. Of his first game in charge at Old Trafford, the Ten Hag said: “The reception was fantastic. I felt the atmosphere in the stadium, I felt the atmosphere they want to send to the team. There must be cooperation between the fans and the team, so that we have the right feeling and, especially, the right results.” In a line-up of second-string players – the likes of Donny van de Beek, Tahith Chong and Alejandro Garnacho – and would-be regulars, with Christian Eriksen given a first start and Lisandro Martínez a debut, Ronaldo’s early contributions were a roll pass to the Dane in flowing motion and missing an easy chance with Stoll Dimitrievsky’s goal blank. Before that Rayo Vallecano, who finished 12th in La Liga last term, came close to scoring seconds after kick-off. A United rearguard captained by Raphael Varane fell asleep as Alvaro Garcia raced into the area, his shot drawing Tom Heaton into a sharp save. United, in the blazing sunshine, were better going forward. Ronaldo, dropping as deep as Ten Haag would have liked, drilled the ball along a left-hand lane to Van de Beek, whose instant cross to the impressive Garnazzo was a fine idea that was misexecuted. As half-time approached, a mild sneer emerged between Ten Haag and Ronaldo during a break in play: the manager appeared to be taking issue with some lack of position, which the player shrugged off. In a spell that went beyond that it was Ronaldo’s last notable appearance as Ten Haag swapped him for Diallo for the second half. The youngster made an immediate impact, scoring from the rebound after Alex Telles’ 20-yard effort. But in what was the poorest of United’s six summer friendly outings, the Spaniards equalised, Garcia turning the ball in.