Sir Alex Ferguson was at Manchester United's training ground on Tuesday morning, on the day in which Erik ten Hag is set to hold talks with Cristiano Ronaldo regarding his future at the club. The legendary United manager was seen driving into the club's Carrington complex at roughly 11am, an hour after Ronaldo had arrived, accompanied by his agent, Jorge Mendes.
Ferguson, who played a key role in luring Ronaldo back to United a year ago, was soon followed into the training complex by fellow club icon Bryan Robson.
Ten Hag arrived shortly after Ronaldo, while chief executive Richard Arnold was also present at Carrington later in the morning. United players began arriving at 11am with the club expecting all players in by 11:30am.
READ MORE: Ronaldo and Mendes arrive for talks with Ten Hag
Ronaldo, 37 missed the entirety of their recent pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia, citing a family issue, and missed four friendlies in Bangkok, Melbourne and Perth.
Two days prior to Ronaldo's scheduled return earlier in the month, it emerged he wanted to leave United due to their slow movement in the transfer market and failure to qualify for the Champions League, which has slashed his salary by 25 per cent.
United have regularly reiterated that Ronaldo is not for sale this summer, with sources insisting that he still has a key role to play as he enters the final year of his contract at the club.
Last year, Ferguson told Viaplay how involved in the deal he was to bring Ronaldo back to the club when he was poised to join Man City. He said: “A lot of people played their part, and I contributed knowing that, really, Cristiano wanted to come here. That was important. It worked very well.
He added: “It’s certainly [a moment] full of excitement and also [a sense of] relief. A lot of relief because I couldn’t imagine him playing for Manchester City, I don’t think anyone could.
“That’s why we had to make steps to make sure he came here. The club then followed in very well, spoke to the Glazers, and it was done.”
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