Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature for Manchester United when they face Atletico Madrid in Norway on Saturday.
The Portuguese superstar has been left out of the 21-man travelling party after talks with Erik ten Hag. Ronaldo, 37, missed the club’s pre-season tour of Asia and Australia, citing family reasons, before returning to Carrington this week.
After talks with the club’s hierarchy - including Sir Alex Ferguson - on Tuesday - he underwent fitness and medical tests to see where he stands after his extended summer break. For the first time, Ronaldo also met new boss Ten Hag in person.
On Wednesday, last season’s top scorer, with 24 goals in 38 games in all competitions, watched from the sidelines as United beat Wrexham 4-1 in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
Now the decision has been made that he will not travel to Oslo for the meeting with Atletico - who have been tipped as a potential destination for the wantaway forward, despite their fans publicly voicing their displeasure at being linked with the ex-Real Madrid man.
United want to retain Ronaldo's services for another season, per his contract, and have ruled out selling him to a rival club.
Ronaldo could feature in Sunday’s meeting with Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford however, and has insisted he will feature in Ten Hag's first Old Trafford outing on Instagram, declaring: "Sunday the king plays."
Ten Hag had previously indicated that Ronaldo will not start the season against Brighton on August 7, making an appearance in that game less likely.
Thus, Anthony Martial is again likely to lead the line against Atleti, having impressed Ten Hag following his return to the club this summer after an inauspicious loan spell at Sevilla in the second half of last season.
Martial’s compatriot, Raphael Varane, is notable by his absence, while both Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez - who featured against Wrexham - are included ahead of their first official fixtures for the Red Devils.
Manchester United travelling squad
Goalkeepers: David De Gea, Tom Heaton, Matej Kovar.
Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Ethan Laird, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Alex Telles.
Midfielders: Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, James Garner, Scott McTominay, Facundo Pellistri, Donny van de Beek.
Forwards: Anthony Elanga, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho.
