CRISTIANO RONALDO has arrived at Old Trafford for his first Manchester United pre-season match of the summer – nearly three weeks after the rest of his team-mates.
Ronaldo, 37, rocked up in his Red Devils tracksuit and completed the look with a pair of white low Nike trainers.
Cristiano Ronaldo rocked up to Old Trafford for the pre-season friendly
He wore the club tracksuit and a pair of Nike trainers
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner returns to the starting XI in pre-season
Arriving at Old Trafford.
@Cristiano
#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 31, 2022
He carried a washbag and wore a backpack as he made his way down the tunnel and into the home dressing room.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner nodded a hello to one person behind the United social media camera and then high-fived another staff member on the door.
Unsurprisingly, supporters were buzzing to see their heroic No7 back after he announced “the king plays on Sunday” on Instagram.
One said: “The Goat returns.”
Another wrote: “Welcome home.”
A third added: “Let’s goooo.”
And a fourth replied: “Suuiiii.”
The Portuguese superstar has been training with the kids and returns to the team today as a youthful team face Rayo Vallecano in the final friendly.
Ronaldo missed the tour to Thailand and Australia due to “family reasons” and then skipped the matches against Wrexham and Atletico Madrid as he tries to force through a transfer exit.
But boss Erik ten Hag confirmed he would be back in action against the Spanish side at Old Trafford – a week before Brighton head to Manchester for their Premier League opener.
The Dutchman said after yesterday’s defeat to Atletico: “Cristiano Ronaldo will play against Rayo Vallecano.
“Yes, he will be in the squad tomorrow. We’ll see how long he can play.”
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However, it remains to be seen whether Ronaldo will be involved next week – or if he will secure his much-wanted departure to secure Champions League football.
The ex-Juventus ace returned to Carrington on Tuesday to hold crunch talks with the club about his future.
United remain insistent that Ronaldo is not for sale – while the striker himself has reiterated his desire to leave.
SunSport exclusively revealed on Thursday that agent Jorge Mendes has a deal in place if the Red Devils give him a figure to trigger a move.
The former Real Madrid forward has been linked with a controversial switch to city rivals Atletico.
Although fans of the Spanish club strongly oppose the move – and displayed a banner reading “CR7 not welcome” in pre-season.
The likes of Chelsea, Juventus and Bayern Munich were all linked earlier in the summer but appear to have rejected the chance to sign Ronaldo.
