Man Utd's pre-season schedule as Red Devils head for Australia
Manchester United have confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will not join the squad for their tour of Thailand this month. The 37-year-old has asked the club to leave should a suitable offer come in for his services and he has missed training since, citing family reasons.
Ronaldo looks set to be on his way out of the north west after reports over the weekend said he had asked to leave the club. The legendary striker was said to be unhappy with the transfer business undertaken by the club up to that point while he was also unwilling to play Europa League football.
The Portugal captain only rejoined United 11 months ago in a sensational transfer from Juventus. He scored 24 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils but some pundits have argued that he made the team worse by causing the side to become imbalanced.
Other notable absentees include Brandon Williams and Phil Jones. The English defenders have found themselves out of favour in recent years and are said to be looking for moves away from the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo will not join Manchester United's tour of Thailand (Image: GETTY)
In other interesting news for the Old Trafford faithful, it appears that Bruno Fernandes has been given a new number. The 27-year-old has finally been able to inherit his favourite No 8 after it was vacated by Juan Mata's departure at the end of last season.
The Red Devils will travel to the Thailand capital of Bangkok to play a glamour friendly against fierce rivals Liverpool. The squad will then continue to Australia, playing in Melbourne and then Perth. United will take on Melbourne Victory and Premier League opponents Aston Villa and Crystal Palace down under as part of their tour.
The matches will see new boss Erik ten Hag take charge of the team for the first time as he looks to improve on the club's disappointing sixth-place finish last season.
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Phil Jones joins Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the notable absentees from the Thailand tour (Image: GETTY)