Erik ten Hag fears Man Utd will have to start season without Cristiano Ronaldo

dailystar.co.uk:

Erik ten Hag fears he will have to start the new season without missing Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo has been AWOL for personal reasons since the squad returned to pre-season training three weeks ago and missed the summer tour of Thailand and Australia.And United have admitted they are still no closer to knowing when - or even if - Ronaldo will return to Manchester to step up his preparations for the new campaign.

The Portuguese icon has been given compassionate leave for 'family reasons' and has not even met Ten Hag since the Dutchman took charge.READ MORE: Erik ten Hag dropped Man Utd player after they were twice late for team meetingsRonaldo, 37, has let it be known he wants to leave United and is unwilling to see out the remaining 12 months of his current £500,000-a-week deal.But United CEO Richard Arnold has made it clear Ronaldo is not for sale, which has led to an uncomfortable stand off between the club and striker.Bayern Munich, Napoli and Atletico Madrid have all expressed an interest in signing Ronaldo, but United will not entertain bids or even negotiations with rival clubs.Would United be better or worse off without Ronaldo?

Let us know in the comments section below.The impasse has left Ten Hag having to plan for United's opening league game against Brighton on August 7 without Ronaldo being involved.While Ronaldo has been training on his own back in Lisbon, he has not done the same amount of work as his team-mates.

United have been at pains not to put pressure on Ronaldo to report back for training, but with the new season fast approaching it is thought something will have to give in the coming week.READ NEXT:Man Utd sold £187m of Cristiano Ronaldo shirts in 10 days of him rejoining.