Posted: 15:08, July 27, 2022 | Updated: 16:57, July 27, 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo was in attendance at Carrington as Manchester United won 4-1 against Wrexham in a friendly behind closed doors.
The 37-year-old has told United he wants to leave this summer and checked into the training ground for the first time in pre-season on Tuesday morning.
New signing Christian Eriksen scored in the game, in what was his first unofficial appearance for the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo in attendance for Manchester United’s friendly with Wrexham today
The Denmark international signed a three-year contract with the Red Devils earlier this month and has now made the perfect start to life on the pitch.
Fellow new signing Lisandro Martinez – whose £55m move from Ajax was confirmed on Wednesday morning – was also in action against the non-league side.
Eriksen scored a free-kick from the edge of the box after Alejandro Garnazzo fell. The Dane’s effort went over the wall and into the bottom corner.
New boys Eriksen and Martinez came off at half-time to replace Kobi Mainoo and Will Fish.
The match, which started at 2 p.m. BST, was held at United’s training ground in Carrington.
No fans were present and the club did not broadcast it live on MUTV. Ronaldo watched from the sidelines along with Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
Christian Eriksen scored behind closed doors on his first appearance for United
Eriksen only trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Tuesday after they returned from their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia at the weekend.
United’s youth team were initially thought to face Wrexham – owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny – but Erik ten Haag was keen to give some of his first-team players extra minutes ahead of the new season.
Ten Hag’s side have two more friendlies – against Atletico Madrid in Oslo and Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford – on back-to-back days this weekend, before kicking off their Premier League campaign at home to Brighton on August 7.
Fellow new signing Lisandro Martinez – who agreed a £55million deal – was also in action
Ronaldo is finally back in England after being given compassionate leave due to a family matter, which saw him miss the first three weeks of pre-season.
His presence at the Wrexham match comes after crucial discussions about his future at United on Tuesday, with ten-Hagg, the club’s chief executive Richard Arnold and the forward’s agent Jorge Mendes all in attendance.
Sir Alex Ferguson was also in Carrington at the same time for a football committee meeting and while Sportsmail understands the meeting was not specifically about Ronaldo, it is highly likely that the matter could have been discussed.
Ten Hag spoke to Ronaldo when he took over as manager in May, but it was the first time the two men had spoken since the Portugal international asked to leave.
Ronaldo checked into the training ground for the first time in pre-season on Tuesday morning
Contact between the two camps was maintained by Arnold and Mendes, who roamed with his client around Europe’s top clubs.
Ronaldo’s return is seen as a positive sign, although it is not yet clear whether he is ready to commit to United for another season or reiterate his desire to be sold.
United were still adamant on Monday night that the superstar forward is not for sale and remains part of the ten Hag’s plans for the new season.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is staying fit in Lisbon but may not be ready to return straight to full training with the rest of the squad who had Monday off after flying from Perth on Sunday.
