The flash of photographers’ bulbs heralded his arrival at 10am as Ronaldo turned up at United’s Carrington training complex for face-to-face talks over his future, resplendent in his £168,000 blue Bentley. He was joined by his trusted agent, Jorge Mendes, who was eyeing a move to Atletico Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Carrington at 10am on Tuesday, accompanied by his agent Jorge Mendes, in preparation for crucial talks with Manchester United manager Erik ten Haag. Ronaldo has missed all of the club’s training so far after being given compassionate leave and did not travel with the rest of the squad to Thailand and Australia Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson also arrived at Carrington, but it turned out to be for a pre-arranged meeting with David Gill and Richard Arnold The sense of occasion was heightened by the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson almost an hour later, but the former club manager was officially there for a pre-arranged meeting with David Gill and chief executive Richard Arnold. Carrington, of course, is not the usual venue for board meetings and many members of the staff wondered if their once great leader had arrived to play another hand in trying to convince Ronaldo to stay at his beloved club. But that was left to Arnold and manager Erik ten Haag, who insisted there is a place in his revamped squad for the 37-year-old who finished last season as United’s top scorer. Ronaldo has always maintained that he will be a professional throughout and the proof of that came at 11.30am on Tuesday. Ronaldo then joined his team-mates, as well as youngsters Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, for over an hour as the manager and staff briefed him on what had happened on United’s tour of Thailand and Australia. Ronaldo, 37, is working to stay fit, but it is unclear whether he will be a Manchester United player for much longer. Ronaldo shows off his gym physique as he misses United’s pre-season tour Ronaldo had told United of his desire to leave last month. He never played in the Europa League during his glittering career and had no desire to start now. his desire is to move to a team capable of challenging for the Champions League. His passion was to finish on top. The timing of his request left many indifferent and United’s stance was that he is not for sale and has a contract to fulfill. Undaunted, Mendes is courting Europe’s top clubs. Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli were among them, but above the flickers of interest and admiration there were no players until Atletico Madrid, who United face next week, wavered a bit. They said they would look into it, but only if the Portuguese superstar could be delivered on a low salary and no fee. New manager Erik ten Hag briefed Ronaldo on the pre-season tour on Tuesday Ronaldo should play catch-up on the pitch to be ready for the new season Ronaldo had been on compassionate leave for a family matter and United’s first team was without him during their 17-day trip to Thailand and Australia. They returned tired on Sunday afternoon to be told the news that Ronaldo would be back. He flew in on a private jet from Madrid at 9.30pm on Monday night and stressed he will be a pro – but still wants to go. United publicly insist he is not for sale and have dismissed the idea of extending his contract and then sending him out on loan as “nonsense”. But Tuesday’s meeting with Mendes underscores that something will have to give. The super agent has indicated that he is comforted by Arnold’s willingness to listen and find common ground. Ronaldo scored 24 times for United last season, including crucial European fixtures However, professional or not, Ronaldo is unlikely to be available for United’s opener against Brighton. Despite posting a photo of himself at the Lisbon gym last weekend, it will be doubtful if he even makes a behind-closed-doors friendly against Wrexham on Wednesday. That platform is likely to be saved for new signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez who shared a ride at Carrington to incredible fanfare as a mere interlude to the main event. Ten Hag is also unlikely to bring him straight back into the team after Anthony Martial earned the right to lead the attack by scoring three goals in four friendlies. Anthony Martial impressed at centre-forward during pre-season tour Ten Haag said he spoke to Ronaldo before the tour, explaining: “I had a good chat. It’s between me and Cristiano. What I can confirm is that we had a very good conversation together.’ The words that follow will be the most important, but Ronaldo’s presence at the team’s debriefing offers some hope of peace. Ten Hag has already made it clear he needs another striker, even with Ronaldo, as United pursue a deal for Brazilian winger Anthony, who is valued at £68m by Ajax. Such a purchase is not that simple, just ask Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong. United have already had too many sagas to endure this summer and don’t need another.
