With Manchester United's Premier League season starting this weekend, reports suggest that Cristiano Ronaldo will start from the bench for their opening fixture.
The club's star forward has reportedly been pushing to leave Old Trafford for much of the off-season transfer window, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner keen on competing for the most illustrious titles in world football.
Coincidentally, the news that Ronaldo wants to leave surfaced just as United were preparing to depart for their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, which he missed the entirety of.
It was during this time that Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford seemingly established themselves as the attacking front three that will lead the line for Erik ten Hag as his reign as Red Devils boss begins.
Ronaldo only made his return to the team last week, making his first appearance in a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano this past Sunday.
Having started the match, the Portugal captain was substituted at half-time after what appeared to be a sideline spat with Ten Hag prior to the game's intermission.
The Sun has now claimed that the Real Madrid icon will start United's opening Premier League fixture against Brighton Hove Albion on the bench, with Martial, Rashford and Sancho expected to start ahead of Ronaldo.
With the Portuguese superstar's future still in doubt and a lack of game time to fully prepare for the season ahead, Ten Hag has reportedly decided against starting with United's top goalscorer from last season as he looks to slowly integrate him back into the squad.
