Manchester United players gave Cristiano Ronaldo a warm welcome when he turned up to Carrington on Tuesday, according to reports. The Portugal international is eager to leave Old Trafford behind this summer for a team who can offer him Champions League football. However, despite his desire to leave, there’s still no indication he’ll get his wish.
United finished sixth in the Premier League table last term, meaning they’ve qualified for the Europa League instead of the Champions League.
And that has irked Ronaldo who, at the end of last month, made it clear to the Red Devils that he was eager to depart.
Since then, the forward has been linked with a variety of different teams. Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and even boyhood club Sporting Lisbon have emerged as potential suitors, while also downplaying interest.
And Spanish newspaper AS claim that Ronaldo was given a warm reception by his team-mates upon returning to Carrington on Tuesday.
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This isn’t the first time Ronaldo has looked to leave the Red Devils, having previously done so on three different occasions during his first stint at the club.
Ronaldo wanted out in 2006 after clashing with Wayne Rooney at the World Cup that year, setting his sights on a potential move to Real Madrid or Barcelona.
But that didn’t happen, with Sir Alex Ferguson convincing him to stay despite the backlash he received on these shores.
It was a similar story in 2008, too.
United won the Premier League and Champions League that year, with Ronaldo’s 42 goals across all competitions key to their success.
He then made it clear he felt he’d earned the right to leave, with Real Madrid his chosen next club.
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But Ferguson jetted out to Portugal for private talks with the forward, with Ronaldo then deciding to stay put for another 12 months.
In 2009, after again asking to leave, Ronaldo got his wish with a world-record £80m move to Madrid then sealed.
And whether he gets his wish this summer is yet to become clear, with United still adamant their prized asset isn’t for sale.
Former United star Teddy Sheringham, however, thinks his old side would be wise to jettison Ronaldo as they gear up for the start of the Ten Hag era.
“I half saw it coming,” Sheringham told Sportsmail recently. “People are saying shall Ten Hag build his team around Ronaldo, but if he wants to go, he goes. That opens up a whole new corridor for United.
“You could get in two or three players on that sort of wage and that is a lot of money they could spend each month.
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“Life goes on, he wants to go and play somewhere else, so get players in that you know who are going to be strong and stable throughout the season.
“Ronaldo will have been watching what has been going on, he will feel the vibes from how it was in Fergie’s time and how the club is being run now and he will get the vibes that he does not like what he is seeing going on.
“If you stand still in football, you fall and maybe Ronaldo sees the same. Where is that big signing coming from?
“If I’m Ronaldo now, I’m saying go on then United, excite me…what are you doing in the transfer market.
“Ronaldo has got maybe another year or two years max at the top level and he deserves to enjoy his football at the top of his game.”
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