“Not as good as Martial anyway”, “Let this guy leave” – Manchester United fans react furiously to ‘unacceptable’ Cristiano Ronaldo decision to skip pre-season tour
Manchester United fans have reacted angrily to the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has decided not to be a part of the squad which travels to Bangkok for the start of their pre-season tour tomorrow.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has said that the 37-year-old forward will be absent from the tour. The Red Devils have given him additional time off to deal with a "personal/family issue."
#MUFC
Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of Manchester United squad for the start of pre-season tour. He’s not gonna travel to Bangkok tomorrow. 🚨🇵🇹 #MUFC
Man United accept to give Cristiano additional time off to deal with personal/family issue. https://t.co/R8Z9XkCOST
The Portuguese superstar is widely reported to have expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford this summer, as he wants to continue playing Champions League football (as per ESPN).
Manchester United will be playing in the Europa League next season due to them finishing sixth with the club's lowest points total (58) in the Premier League era last term. They have also failed to make significant additions to their squad this summer, with young Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia the only arrival so far in the window. Midfielder Christian Eriksen has reportedly accepted an offer to join the Red Devils.
Despite United's troubles, Cristiano Ronaldo still managed to score 24 times in 38 games.
However, upon hearing the news that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will not be a part of Ten Hag's squad for their tour of Thailand and Australia, fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration towards the legendary forward.
Here is a collection of tweets expressing the fans' frustration.
@FabrizioRomano Don’t care
@FabrizioRomano not as good as martial anyway
@FabrizioRomano He’s defo gone now
@FabrizioRomano Bruh thats just unacceptable now.
@FabrizioRomano Byeee 👋
Utd should let this guy leave. We need youthful energy next season. twitter.com/FabrizioRomano…
@SkySportsNews Love the lad, the best there's ever been, but the club don't need this baggage now, it's a new era, time to move on. It was incredible bringing him back, but times time. We need to make way and remove the weight from the team. Young hungry players only. Thank you CR7 ❤️🏆
#MUFC remain defiant in their belief Ronaldo is not for sale and say his reasons for missing the pre-season tour are genuine but its a PR disaster and an unwanted distraction for ten Hag.
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo "completely obsessed" with Champions League
According to Portuguese football expert Pedro Sepulveda, Ronaldo has spoken to his agent Jorge Mendes to see if there are other options away from Old Trafford. He wants to become the first man to win six Champions League titles.
Sepulveda told Sky Sports:
"Manchester United are not in the Champions League next season and Ronaldo is unhappy about this. He is completely obsessed with playing in the competition so he's not living well with the reality that he's not going to be playing in it in the immediate future.
"He's spoken to his agent Jorge Mendes, who is seeing if there are any other options. He said he would speak to the clubs who are targeting winning the Champions League to see what could be done in terms of a change in this summer transfer window."
He added:
"You can forget the English clubs, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, as I'm 100 per cent sure Ronaldo will not play for another club in England, while Ronaldo doesn't fit into the new project at PSG."
Ronaldo has always played in the Champions League throughout his career. If he decides to stay at United, he will miss playing in the competition for the first time in almost two decades.
BREAKING: Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad scheduled to depart for the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia on Friday 🚨 https://t.co/Fg6iVkcMTQ