Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is “not for sale,” as the Duch coach says the player is “in our plan”
The 37-year-old wants to leave the club and will miss the first half of United’s preseason tour of Thailand.
He played for Juventus and Real Madrid before coming back to United last season.
“He is not with us due to personal issues. We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season. That is it,” said former Ajax manager Ten Hag.
“I am looking forward to working with him. Cristiano is not for sale. He is in our plans. We want success together.”
The Portugal forward missed the club’s return to preseason training at Carrington, which fueled speculation about his future.
Ronaldo worked out at the headquarters of the Portuguese national team instead.
Before departing for Australia, the Old Trafford team plays Liverpool in Thailand on Tuesday. Ten Hag stated that he is unsure at this time whether Ronaldo will join the tour later.
The Dutchman added that he had a conversation with Ronaldo prior to the tour, saying: “We spoke well. I can confirm that Cristiano and I had a really enjoyable conversation about that, but that is just between us.”
Ten Hag also talked about the captaincy, which was a problem last season because of Harry Maguire’s inconsistency.
“Harry Maguire will be captain,” he said. “He has been captain for more than a year. He has achieved a lot of success. I have no doubts about this issue.”
Tyrell Malacia, a fullback from Feyenoord, is United’s lone summer signing. Christian Eriksen, a free agent midfielder, appears to be a lock for them to sign, and they and Barcelona appear to be close to a deal for Frenkie de Jong.
Ten Hag emphasized that United will only sign players if he thinks they will complement his desired playing style.
