Manchester United manager not interested in discussing Ronaldo’s absence from Australian tour

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was in no mood to discuss the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo from the club’s tour of Australia.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag would not discuss Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence. Picture: CON CHRONIS / AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United future is a taboo topic as the Red Devils prepare for Friday night’s MCG date with Melbourne Victory.

The Portuguese superstar wants to leave Old Trafford, but remains a United player despite not travelling to Australia with the rest of the squad.

New United manager Erik ten Hag, who has previously stated that Ronaldo isn’t for sale and is part his plans for the upcoming English Premier League season, refused to give an update on the 37-year-od attacker when asked on Thursday.

“We made a statement and nothing has changed,” the Dutch coach said.

That statement came before United’s 4-0 win over Liverpool in Thailand on Tuesday night.

“He’s not with us and it’s due to personal issues,” ten Hag said in Bangkok.

“We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that’s it. I’m looking forward to working with him. Cristiano is not for sale.”

While Ronaldo isn’t in Melbourne, United skipper and central defender Harry Maguire is, and is set to play 45 minutes against the Victory after not playing in Bangkok.

“I think (Maguire) can play half a game,” ten Hag said of Maguire.

“We have a strong squad so the fans will be happy.

“It’s pre-season but in football you play to win ... but of course in this pre-season we also have to develop our team so that is also a very big target for the game.”

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Ten Hag was happy for his side to be playing against a “different” opponent in the Victory ahead of matches next week against Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in Melbourne and Perth respectively.

“It is always good to play against different opposition, with different culture and it will be a different approach,” he said.

“From Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, we know what we can expect. From Melbourne Victory, it will be different.
“I think they play (at) a good level and they (were) second (on the ladder) the A-League last year so they will have a strong squad.

“(Also) I think the coach (Tony Popovic) is familiar with top football, so we are looking forward to this game. It’s going to be a good test.”

Ten Hag will demand another imposing United performance to follow on from the convincing win over Liverpool.

“From every area of the team, I want productivity. That’s the most important thing, that players take the initiative, on and off the ball, in offence and defence,” he said.

“We want to press, we want to press all day and play proactive football. Sometimes we can do that high but if not possible, we have to read it as a team and drop lower, but we want to press and that has to be the intention all day.”