Images of Ronaldo leaving Old Trafford before the final whistle emerged on social media, but United have made it clear he was one of several players who did so and it is not an issue for the club. Ronaldo, who has told United of his desire to leave the club on several occasions, played in the first half before being withdrawn for eventual goalscorer Amad Diallo. Image: Cristiano Ronaldo played the first half of United’s pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano The 37-year-old’s reduced minutes came as no surprise, with manager Erik ten Haag admitting Ronaldo is well behind his team-mates in terms of fitness ahead of the match at Old Trafford. Image: Cristiano Ronaldo made his first appearance for Manchester United in pre-season “He’s not at the level of the rest of the team because he missed a lot of weeks,” the Dutchman told Viaplay. “But he needs games and he needs practice, a lot.” Sunday 7 August 13:00 Start 14:00 Ronaldo was absent for United’s preparations in Thailand and Australia while dealing with a family issue and only returned to training on Tuesday when he and his agent, Jorge Mendes, held further discussions about his future. United insist they will not approve the sale of the four-time Ballon d’Or winner, who is firmly in Ten Hag’s plans. Despite Ronaldo’s insistence on leaving, there was no sign of ill will towards him from the Old Trafford faithful, with the fans giving him a standing ovation as he exited the tunnel. After the end of the match, he posted on his social media channels: “Happy to be back”. It remains unclear where Ronaldo’s potential exit routes lie, with Chelsea no longer appearing to be an option, while Bayern Munich and Atletico appear to have publicly ruled out a move. The game against Rayo Vallecano was United’s final pre-season game before their Premier League opener against Brighton next Sunday – live on Sky Sports.
Ten Hag: We have made good progress, but room for improvement
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has played six games in pre-season – losing just one along the way – and is pleased with the performances but says he expects more development from his new side. “Overall, definitely (pleased with the preseason), I think we’re doing a good preparation and we’re making good progress,” Ten Hag told MUTV. “We are ready for the season, but I know there is still a lot of room for improvement and we have to improve. “It’s also a process that continues into the season, but for next week it’s also about the result. It was (squad selection) a mix of experience and youth, some guys met for the first time today, so what can you expect? “You saw the attitude was great, they fought and worked for each other and it was positive. We created a lot of chances, okay, we also conceded chances, but I think we have to be satisfied with the performance.”
Positives for Ten Hag, despite Rayo’s draw
Analysis from Sky Sports’ Richard Morgan: “With exactly a week to go until Man Utd kick off their Premier League season at home to Brighton – live on Sky Sports – new manager Erik ten Hag will have learned a lot from their last friendly, their last before kick-off the actual action. “The Dutchman, having seen his new side lose 1-0 to Atletico Madrid 24 hours earlier, had a much-changed line-up, although he started new signing Martinez alongside Varane at the heart of United’s defence, with the Argentine to impress before. stuck in time. “Youngster Laird has also caught the eye at right-back and it is interesting that Ten Hag have opted to use both summer signing Eriksen and Van de Beek to keep the midfielders in front of the back four. “The experienced Dane ran the show from the center of the park before being rested with half an hour to go, but it was youngsters Tahith Chong and Garnacho Ferreyra who both impressed with energetic displays in attack. “As for the main man himself, Ronaldo started up front, but after a brilliant start, the 37-year-old’s influence began to wane, before he got stuck at the break.”
