MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Manchester United’s preseason tour to Thailand and Australia amid doubts over his future at the club.
United said Friday that the 37-year-old forward had been granted additional time off to deal with an unspecified family issue that prevented him from reporting back for practice this week.
The Portugal star has reportedly asked to leave United.
Ronaldo only returned to United last season after 12 years away from Old Trafford but the team finished in sixth place and only qualified for the Europa League rather than the more prestigious Champions League.
The tour will feature games against Liverpool, Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. It will be new manager Erik Ten Hag’s first chance to work in depth with the squad.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
