Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo absent for first day of pre-season due to family reasons

Cristiano Ronaldo was unavailable when the majority of Manchester United players returned for pre-season training with new boss Erik ten Hag on Monday morning.
The Portuguese forward has informed the club he wants to leave this summer in order to play Champions League football. It's understood his absence from training on Monday was due to family reasons, with United accepting this explanation. United's position on Ronaldo remains that he has a year remaining on his contract and is not for sale, despite his desire to leave mainly because he will be unable to compete for the biggest trophies at the club. The 37-year-old feels the urge to win more as he nears the end of his career, but is understood to feel that may not be feasible at Old Trafford next season.
The Portugal international has never played in the Europa League - which United will be in next season. But despite Ronaldo being keen to leave, United have made it clear that he is not for sale and expect him to see out the remainder of his contract, which expires in the summer of 2023.
Speaking at the beginning of June, Ronaldo said he was "very happy" to remain at United and predicted they would rebound from a dreadful 2021/22 season. But just one month later, the Portugal captain has had a change of heart.