2 years ago
The penultimate preseason game between Manchester United and Atletico Madrid won't feature Cristiano Ronaldo.
Fans could catch a peek of Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez for the first time.
Ronaldo, 37, resumed practicing this week following a protracted summer break, so he missed a significant amount of preseason.
Ronaldo is destined to miss out on a fantastic opportunity, though, as his future is uncertain and there is a chance that he may join Diego Simone's team.
This week, Ronaldo met with Richard Arnold and Erik ten Hag to discuss his future, but the striker was actually quick to leave.
Since CR7 is still not game-ready, Anthony Martial will likely start in Oslo, Norway.
Ronaldo's absence means Atleti supporters won't have the opportunity to express their opinions to the striker directly regarding the likelihood of him coming.
Given his extraordinary standing at rivals Real Madrid, a small number of pals have dispatched a mission against the Portuguese mark.
At a recent friendly match, supporters even waved a banner that said, "CR7 not wanted." Ronaldo responded on Instagram by sharing four laughing emoticons.
Lack of assets may be one additional obstacle to Ronaldo joining Atletico.
Prior to making a move for the hotshot, the Spanish goliaths are rumored to need to offload high-paid employees Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata.
By the way, Ten Hag might be preparing for life without the striker by positioning Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho next to Martial in attack, as he has done for much of the preseason.
A free-kick was scored on Christian Eriksen's debut in a covert 4-1 victory over Wrexham, giving newcomers Lisandro Martinez and Eriksen their most memorable first impressions in front of the assembled supporters.
Martinez might start in the guard position near to Harry Maguire, with Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw at full-back.
On the other hand, Ten Hag could expect to test Tyrell Malacia soon after his substitute debut in the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa by giving Raphael Varane a few truly essential minutes.
The other team chooses its own midfielder due to Ten Hag's genuine trouble and Scott McTominay's absence from the Villa runout.
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