Erik ten Hag could look to reintegrate Cristiano Ronaldo into the first-team fold at Manchester United as the pair prepare to sit down for showdown talks over the forward's future.
The 37-year-old was temporarily exiled from the first-team fold in the days leading up to last Saturday's 1-1 draw away at Chelsea. Ronaldo was forced to train alone and not named in the squad for the clash at Stamford Bridge as punishment for his refusal to come off the bench in the last knockings of Wednesday's 2-0 home win over Tottenham.
Instead, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner decided to storm down the Old Trafford tunnel minutes before the full-time whistle had been blown without permission from his manager. Despite that, Ten Hag is reportedly prepared to hold clear the air talks on Tuesday, with a view to getting Ronaldo back on board for the remainder of the season, as per The Daily Express.
With that being said, sources within the club are thought to expect the forward to try and force through an exit in the January transfer window even though his United contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
Starved of Premier League minutes so far this term, that is a theme that looks set to continue but the United boss is mulling over the idea of handing Ronaldo a chance to redeem himself in Thursday night's Europa League home tie with Sheriff Tiraspol.
Ten Hag has already confirmed Ronaldo's punishment would only last the weekend of the Chelsea clash and has insisted the former Real Madrid man remains part of his plans moving forward.
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Pressed for comment on whether Ronaldo would return to the fold in the games that follow the trip to Stamford Bridge, Ten Hag told Sky Sports: "Yes, I think it [his suspension] is only for this weekend, this match and then we will talk and we will see."
The Dutchman also discussed the amount of Premier League game-time Ronaldo has enjoyed so far this term, claiming: "I think he has played over 700 minutes in the season so far which is a respectable number. It is not as much as [Jadon] Sancho or [Marcus] Rashford, they have a bit more but not a lot more so we have that group of offensive players and we need rotation because no one can play every game."
Ronaldo now has the chance to voice his concerns directly to his manager in the privacy of the club's Carrington training complex rather than another divisive on-pitch temper tantrum in full view of the Old Trafford faithful.
