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.
READ MORE: How United should line up in Wrexham friendly
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.
Ronaldo's desire to leave is also fuelled by his frustration at United's slow movement in the transfer market, with Wednesday marking 11 weeks since interest in Frenkie de Jong became public knowledge.
Since then, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen have both been signed, and an agreement is in place for Lisandro Martinez. It is certainly progress, but not the statement Ronaldo wanted his side to make in a summer where they lost six players on free transfers.
Then there is the money. United's failure to qualify for the Champions League led to contract clauses being triggered for many players, with Ronaldo seeing his weekly earnings slashed by 25 per cent.
Ronaldo might well be able to swallow one of those setbacks, but for all three of them to come at once has made him seriously question what the next step in his career should be.
Ronaldo demands the very highest standards both on and off the pitch, and despite reaching the twilight of his career, he still wants to be playing at the highest level and competing for the Ballon d'Or - that would almost be a non-starter if he were to be playing in the Europa League instead.
But with time running out for the Portuguese to find a new club, it seems increasingly likely a compromise will need to be found if he is to be playing regular football ahead of the World Cup in November.
If Ronaldo were to stay, then it would need to be on United's terms rather than his own, and if he were to remain, he would also need to accept that he is no longer guaranteed a starting spot following the productive pre-season which was had in his absence.
Ronaldo has essentially called the shots everywhere he's been since his ascension to the top of the game, but now, for the first time since 2006 when he was convinced to stay at the club by mentor Sir Alex Ferguson following the World Cup in Germany, United wield the power once more.
They might not be able to give Ronaldo the three things he wants, but with few other offers available to him, they might not need to.
READ NEXT:
