The Portuguese attacker is still hoping to leave Manchester United this summer and is no longer being joined for dinners at Carrington by his teammates, who are clear on his thinking.
Cristiano Ronaldo is said to have had to eat lunch alone because his attempts to leave Manchester United continue to annoy his colleagues.
The Portuguese striker made a surprising transfer request earlier this summer in order to return to the Champions League, and he has also been disappointed by the Red Devils’ reticence in the current market, with only three new faces arriving at Old Trafford in recent months.
So far, his attempts to leave the club have failed, with the Red Devils taking a firm not-for-sale position on the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, and tangible bids for his services not flowing despite Jorge Mendes’ best efforts to secure a trade to a Champions League club.
Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli, and his old club Juventus have all been linked with a move for his signature, but he is still a Manchester United player.
It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo can find a way out of the club before the deadline in September, but in the meanwhile, he has been reintroduced into the first-team fold after missing the club’s pre-season excursions to Asia and Australia due to personal issues. However, the environment at Carrington does not appear to be positive.
According to The Athletic, the 37-year-old has been allowed alone at the club’s training facility to eat lunch, despite his obvious dissatisfaction during training and matches.
According to sources, Ronaldo has been seen flailing his arms around during training and on the pitch as the club has had its worst start to a season in over a century. The Red Devils have lost their first two Premier League games under Erik ten Hag, with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend and a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Brentford.
Ronaldo came off the bench against Brighton, but was reintroduced into the starting lineup on Saturday and played the entire 90 minutes against Brentford – with little reward. He has failed to open his goal scoring account for the season, despite scoring 24 goals for the Red Devils last season.
Ronaldo appeared to be directed to acknowledge the travelling crowd before immediately turning around and going down the tunnel after the final whistle at the Brentford Community Stadium.
If the former Real Madrid and Juventus star’s attitude does not improve, the Red Devils may be obliged to cancel the remainder of the two-year deal he signed to return to the club last summer. However, United has now denied those allegations.