Manchester United manager faces Ronaldo pressure ahead of pre-season tour

After initially appearing to be happy enough to stay at Manchester United for another season, Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have made a U-turn in recent weeks. As a result, he has reportedly put new manager Erik ten Hag's plans in disarray.

Ronaldo is beyond doubt a massively influential figure in the dressing room, and his discontent has put the new manager under immense pressure even before he takes charge of his first match as United boss.

According to his own words, Ronaldo initially said that he was excited to see what Ten Hag can do for the club. The Portuguese star has spent a year at Old Trafford, after making a shock comeback from Juventus. He has a stellar season personally, but it was not enough to lift the club out of a disastrous sixth-place finish.

Ronaldo scored 24 goals in his first season back with the Red Devils, but that still left them out of the Champions League spots. Now, following a few weeks of observation, the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner is reportedly unhappy with the way the club has been handling the transfer window. Needless to say, he does not feel like the club is doing enough to become competitive in the coming season. As such, he has asked to be sold.

His agent, Jorge Mendes has already been in touch with the likes of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, Chelsea FC and even Napoli. Ronaldo is determined to play with a club that can challenge for trophies, and he currently does not see that happening at Old Trafford.

The 37-year-old has won the UEFA Champions League five times in his career, and he is not keen on plying his trade in the Europa League.

Despite these reports, Ten Hag has always maintained that he is keen on having Ronaldo in his squad. However, he will need to act fast if he wants to find a way to convince Ronaldo to stay. If that fails, then he will have to go back to the drawing board and build a team without the prolific forward.

Ronaldo was absent from pre-season training on Monday, and it remains to be seen if he will show up in time for the club's trip to Thailand on Friday, which is part of their pre-season tour of Australasia.

There is no doubt that there are a number of clubs that are interested in signing one of the best players the world has ever seen. However, not many can necessarily afford the player. Chelsea's new co-owner Todd Boehly may be persuaded to splash the cash to make a statement signing to signal his arrival at Stamford Bridge. However, it may not be the best idea to welcome a new era by signing a 37-year-old.

Ten Hag may be excited to work with a huge superstar, but he will need to make a decision on whether he wants such a big presence in the dressing room that can potentially change the balance.

The former Ajax manager has his work cut out for him, regardless if Ronaldo stays or goes. Paul Pogba has already left the squad, but Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen and Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia are on the way in.

Furthermore, the club is still in the hunt for Barcelona Frenkie De Jong and Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.