Manchester United, in recent weeks, have been seriously impressive. After losing their opening two matches of the season against Brighton and Brentford, the Reds have responded well - winning four successive Premier League matches. The recent results, which include victories over Liverpool and Arsenal, have all come with talisman Cristiano Ronaldo starting on the bench.
Ronaldo was not part of United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia after the veteran striker was granted additional time off to deal with a family issue. He was scheduled to rejoin his teammates towards the end of pre-season but was instead keeping fit at Portugal's training base - Cidade do Futebol - as speculation around his future intensified.
His only appearance for the Reds before the start of the new season came against Rayo Vallecano, with the Portuguese international featuring for 45 minutes before being replaced by Amad Diallo.
