Manchester United have the same pre-season problem Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku gave them

It's been a while since Manchester United jetted off on a pre-season tour, but it's been even longer since they enjoyed one without distraction or drama.

United fly out to Bangkok on Friday for a 16-day odyssey that will also include Melbourne and Perth and games against Liverpool, Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. It should be the perfect opportunity for Erik ten Hag to really get his message across to the players.

These tours aren't always popular with players but the benefits go well beyond the commercial. A concentrated and focused spell on the training ground can be vital ahead of a new season, especially with a new manager in charge.

But to make the most of these tours it needs the players to be enjoying a football-focused trip. The travelling and commercial obligations will always be a test, but if the rest of the tour is about work on the training pitches and bonding off it, then they can work well.

United haven't had that benefit recently, however, and there is a danger that this year's edition will again be overshadowed by off-pitch events after Cristiano Ronaldo's request to leave over the weekend.

With two days to go until the departure date, it's still not clear if the 37-year-old will be on the plane on Friday. He's missed the first two days of pre-season training due to "family reasons" and United are in the dark over when he will be back and whether it will be in time to tour from the start.

Whether he does or doesn't make check-in, it now feels inevitable that this trip will be dominated by a transfer saga centred on one of the biggest players in world football. Every press conference for Ten Hag or one of his players will be about Ronaldo, will he stay, will he go, how can he be