Ten Hag downplays Ronaldo exit claims as he looks forward to working with five-time Ballon d’Or winner

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says he is looking forward to working with Cristiano Ronaldo.

The uncertain future of Ronaldo dominated this morning’s press conference in Bangkok as Ten Hag addressed the media before the first friendly match of the pre-season tour against Liverpool tomorrow.

Journalists from across the world attended the event. It was also a chance for some of the reporters we hear from regularly to get more information on the latest stories surrounding the club.

They jumped in with countless questions on Ronaldo’s potential exit, but Ten Hag kept his cards close to his chest throughout the briefing and made it clear that he plans to have the Portuguese superstar in his squad for the upcoming season.

“So, he’s not with us,” Ten Hag said at first, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. “That’s due to personal issues.”

Ten Hag would have been warned about the spotlight that comes with the United job, so he was in for a round of questions about Ronaldo this afternoon. I thought he dealt with it well and refused to engage in a game of tell-tale when quizzed on a private conversation he previously had with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“We are planning with Ronaldo for this season – that’s it,” Ten Hag said. “I’m looking forward to working with him.”

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Footage courtesy of Sky Sports News

When asked directly if Ronaldo wants to leave the club this summer, he added: “He hasn’t told me this. I have read, but as I say, Cristiano is not for sale, he’s in our plans and we want to get success together.”

Hopefully, Ronaldo can return for some of the pre-season tour and quash this noise around his future because the team needs to focus on getting better results when the competitive games begin.

The clock is ticking.

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