Ronaldo Missing As Man Utd Players Return To Training After COVID-19 Outbreak

Manchester United returned to their Carrington training ground Tuesday after being temporarily halted due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the first-team squad. However, Cristiano Ronaldo was among those who were not present during the training.

The Red Devils had a coronavirus outbreak within their squad, which led to the suspension of first-team operations at their training facilities. The Man Utd's games against Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion were also postponed. Carrington remained closed to the first-team players since then.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Scott McTominay, Fred, Mason Greenwood, Luke Shaw, Jesse Lingard, and Juan Mata reported at the club's Carrington training complex. Greenwood, Shaw and Lingard left the field after 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo together with Donny van de Beek, Paul Pogba, Diogo Dalot, Jadon Sancho, Phil Jones, Tom Heaton, and Dean Henderson were among those players who were not seen. Reasons for their absence are still unclear.

The legendary striker, Ronaldo is currently Man Utd's top goalscorer this season. The forward player, 36, scored 13 goals in 18 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions. He seemingly has been more effective for the club in the Champions League.

Man Utd is scheduled to take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Dec. 27. The Premier League has officially confirmed that the season will not be suspended due to the recent outbreak of coronavirus cases in various teams. The newly appointed Man Utd manager Ralf Rangnick is due to hold his pre-match press conference Thursday.

In a statement, the Premier League said, "It was confirmed at a Premier League club meeting today that while recognising a number of clubs are experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks and challenges, it is the League’s collective intention to continue the current fixture schedule where safely possible." They confirmed that 92% of the players and staff have received one up to three COVID-19 vaccination doses and 84% of players are on the vaccination journey.

Man Utd reportedly has only played 16 games in the Premier League while other teams like Liverpool and Manchester City have already played 18.