Manchester United are in a position they've not been in for 16 years with Cristiano Ronaldo

The new Premier League season starts next week and Manchester United are still not sure whether or not Cristiano Ronaldo will be part of the squad for it. Ronaldo returned to Carrington on Tuesday, along with his agent Jorge Mendes, for talks with Erik ten Hag about his future at the club, with the striker still keen to leave this summer.

The Portuguese was the first notable arrival, heading in at 10am, 15 minutes before his new manager and an hour before teammates began to filter in for the resumption of pre-season training.

Ronaldo stayed at Carrington for roughly seven hours, leaving just before 5pm, though club sources have refused to divulge the specifics of his visit and what he did after those talks with Ten Hag.

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What really matters is what happens next. United face Wrexham in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday afternoon before a weekend double-header against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.

It seems highly unlikely Ronaldo will feature at all this week, and it remains unclear whether or not there will be any compromise reached by the season opener against Brighton a week on Sunday either.

Ronaldo has made clear his desire to be playing in the Champions League next season, something United can't offer, but the list of suitors is limited with Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid having both publicly distanced themselves from a deal.

There has been a suggestion the 37-year-old could leave on loan next season before re-evaluating his options in a year's time, but even that seems unlikely given United would most likely demand a fee and all of his wages paid, something that reflects bad business for any club, no matter his commercial value.

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