Manchester United: Bruno Fernandes Addresses Ongoing Cristiano Ronaldo Situation

Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has addressed the ongoing speculation surrounding his club and international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

News broke of Ronaldo’s desire to leave United just a day before the squad reunited at Carrington to begin their pre-season training. The 37-year-old confirmed to the club that he would not train with the side, nor join them on their pre-season tour, citing “personal reasons” as the reasoning behind his choice.

What Are Ronaldo’s Frustrations With the Manchester Club?

The reports regarding Ronaldo’s feelings showed that his disappointment mainly revolved around two things: United’s lack of ambition in the transfer window and the club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League. He expressed that he wanted to stay playing at the highest level for the remainder of his career.

Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo’s agent, met with Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly to discuss a potential move to West London, however manager Thomas Tuchel had the final say on the matter and decided against signing the star.

When broached the matter of his missing teammate, Fernandes confirmed that he had approached Ronaldo to check on his well-being, saying:

"The only thing I asked Cristiano, when he didn’t turn up, was if everything was OK with the family, he told me what was going on, that’s it and nothing more."

Fernandes commented on how important it would be to keep the five-time Ballon D’Or winner, adding:

"I don’t know, obviously Cristiano was our top scorer last season…Obviously it’s not on me, it’s the club that has to make the choices and Cristiano makes his own choice."

Ronaldo scored 24 goals across all competitions last season but was unable to secure the side’s place in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old was adamant about not getting caught up in rumours regarding his fellow Portugal international:

"We have to respect the decision of everyone. I don’t know what Cristiano said to the club, to the manager, I don’t know what is going on in his head, but we have to respect his space.From everything we know, he had some family problems, so we have to give him some space and that’s it.(via: theathletic.com)"

The Search Continues for the Perfect Suitor

Since the Blues confirmed a deal was off the table, Ronaldo had been linked with reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, before head coach Julian Nagelsmann said:

"I saw all rumours on my interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo, but that’s not true."

The five-time Champions League winner had also been rumoured of a move back to boyhood club Sporting CP, before addressing the rumours himself as “fake” on an Instagram post.

Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United Side off to Perfect Start in Pre-season

To many supporters’ surprise, United are looking prolific as ever without Ronaldo on their pre-season tour. Forwards Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are proving to be a lethal force under new manager Erik ten Hag, bagging seven goals between them in the last three games.

United have dominated each fixture so far, starting with a 4-0 win against rivals Liverpool in Thailand. The club then travelled down under and thrashed Melbourne Victory 4-1, before beating Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace 3-1.

Ten Hag faces his first Premier League fixture on August 7 when United kickoffs their 2022/2023 league campaign against Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford.