Cristiano Ronaldo set for Manchester United return: 'Sunday, the king plays'

Cristiano Ronaldo warming up for Manchester United ahead of their Premier League game at Brighton in May 2022.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to feature for the first time under new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag on Sunday.

The Portuguese forward missed United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to 'personal reasons' and was left out of the team's squad for the friendly against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Ronaldo is understood to be looking for a transfer this summer and had been strongly linked with Atletico.

However, speculation over a possible move for the former Real Madrid icon has upset Atletico fans.

Fans unfurled a banner with the message 'CR7 not welcome' in Atletico's pre-season friendly against Numancia on Wednesday, while one of the club's supporter groups released a strongly worded statement saying the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the "antithesis of the club's values".

The 37-year-old is yet to feature under Ten Hag, but looks set to take part in Sunday's friendly against Rayo Vallecano.

"Sunday, the king plays," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram in response to a fan post which highlighted his absence from the squad to face Atletico.

Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.