Erik ten Hag knew what to expect when taking his Manchester United pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The journalists at Carrington were hardly going to waste multiple questions about the 'challenge' of FC Sheriff when perhaps the biggest story of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo, had just broken out last week, dominating headlines and discussion. Ronaldo refused to be substituted against Tottenham and he stormed down the tunnel early at Old Trafford, which forced Ten Hag to make him train separately away from the first-team and ensure he was not available to make the squad for Chelsea.
The Manchester Evening News reported on Monday that Ten Hag was set to hold face-to-face talks with Ronaldo on Tuesday before potentially welcoming the forward back into first-team training, and the forward was pictured smiling upon his arrival at Carrington on that morning. Ronaldo then trained with the first-team later that afternoon, as expected after talks.
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The talks with Ten Hag had been productive and journalists at the pre-match press conference wanted to know more. Ten Hag gave the following update before eventually insisting that he would not answer any more questions about the 37-year-old.
"Yes, Cristiano will be in the squad tomorrow," Ten Hag said. "It's not difficult. But I think we said everything and we answered all the questions, he was out for one game and is back in the squad as usual. You don't have to [ask more questions].
"We will not answer anymore, so all the questions, I think, are everything we explained and we have to focus on the game tomorrow. We have an important game because we want to be number one in the group. I don't have to do it anymore.
"It's done, he's back, focus on the game, that's important that Cristiano is involved in the squad tomorrow."
Although Ten Hag said the situation with Ronaldo was 'done' and addressed, even he will know that is not true. Ronaldo's future is going to be a huge story this season, as long as he continues to have such a peripheral squad role on matchdays.
Ronaldo is set to start against FC Sheriff in the Europa League, but he's already made it clear that solely starting in that competition is not acceptable for him. Ronaldo believes he should be starting every match, despite being in the winter of his career.
That is clearly not going to happen and it seems he will continue to be 'p***** off' when he's on the bench, which is how Ten Hag recently explained Ronaldo feels when he's not named in the starting lineup, although the truth is probably worse.
The most logical solution to the Ronaldo predicament is for both parties to have an amicable divorce. The forward is out of contract at the end of the season and he's expected to leave, but it's understood he could potentially seek an exit in January.
The only concrete offer that Ronaldo received in the summer was from Saudi Arabia and that was rejected, with the player still wanting to play Champions League football, yet the obvious problem was, no elite clubs wanted to sign him.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, AC Milan and PSG have no interest in signing Ronaldo, which means he will have to compromise to get a move away in January. Ronaldo ultimately needs to accept he is no longer the asset he once was.
However, a fairytale return to Sporting Lisbon, which is where it all began for Ronaldo, might actually be possible after the club's manager Ruben Amorim was asked about the future of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on Tuesday afternoon.
"Ronaldo is a top player," Amorim said. "He is a Manchester United player. Everybody in Sporting dreams of the return for Cristiano but we don’t have the money to pay his wages. I think he is happy in Manchester but is not playing so that is the problem.
"But I have my problems so it is Ten Hag’s problem! I am very happy with my players, no problem at all at the moment."
Although Amorim suggested that Sporting Lisbon could not afford Ronaldo, who is the highest earner at Old Trafford, they could eventually be the leading option for the player and that could lead him to reduce his wage demands to facilitate a transfer.
What does Ronaldo care more about, minutes on the pitch or money? Ronaldo has never had to answer that, as his extraordinary success has brought lucrative deals regardless, but he might have to reduce his demands, to play as much as he wants.
After a 'fairytale' return to Old Trafford, a return to the Jose Alvalade Stadium would make sense.
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