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      Cristiano Ronaldo training with Real Madrid after Man Utd exit and linked with shock transfer as he keeps up fitness

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO has been spotted training at Real Madrid, according to sensational reports.The Portugal star left the World Cup following his nation’s shock quarter-final defeat against Morocco.
      Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly training with Real Madrid following Portugal’s World Cup KO and his Man Utd axeCredit: Getty
      Cristian Ronaldo spent nine years with Real Madrid before joining Juventus and subsequently Man Utd for a second stintCredit: AFP
      Ronaldo, 37, was axed by Manchester United before the tournament, with his £500,000-a-week contract torn up.
      And the five-time Ballon d’Or winner appears to have returned to another former club to keep his fitness up.
      According to Relevo, Ronaldo has been seen training at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas base.
      The report states the former United ace – whose explosive interview with Piers Morgan paved the way for his exit – is training away from the Los Blancos first-team.
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      It’s claimed Real were more than happy to accommodate Ronaldo, with the relationship between club and player still strong.
      The forward was granted permission to train at his old club as he mulls over his next career move.
      Ronaldo enjoyed his best years in the Spanish capital, winning two LaLiga crowns and four Champions League titles during his nine-year stay.
      The 196-cap Portugal legend – who’s World Cup exit KO’d his chance to break another world record – scored 450 times for Los Blancos in just 438 games between 2009 and 2018.
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      Ronaldo has never been shy in revealing his fondness for Real and would no doubt happily return.
      Yet, despite president Florentino Perez’s kind words down the years, it’s believed the club have shut the door to a potential return as they don’t want to disrupt Carlo Ancelotti’s current squad.
      Following his time in Spain, Ronaldo moved to Juventus – where he lasted just three years – before heading back to Old Trafford.
      However, his 15-month stay at United were littered in controversy before his exit last month.
      Since leaving Man Utd, Ronaldo has been linked with a mega-money move to Al Nassr.
      It’s believed the forward will be offered a staggering £173million a year to complete a free move to Saudi Arabia.
      Meanwhile, Ronaldo is NOT expected to retire from international duty after Portugal’s World Cup heartache.
      The ex-Sporting Lisbon star was spotted in tears in the tunnel following the gut-wrenching defeat to Morocco.
      But CM Journal claims Ronaldo has already informed Portugal chiefs he intends to continue playing for his country.
      And that puts him in contention to lead his nation at Euro 2024 in 18 months’ time.
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      Ronaldo found himself on the bench in the latter stages of the World Cup, replaced by Goncalo Ramos – who scored a hat-trick in the 6-1 mauling of Switzerland.
      However, he was subbed on in both Portugal’s last 16 clash with Switzerland and quarter-final vs Morocco – but was unable to end his career-long knockout stage goal drought. More

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      Man Utd transfer boost with France’s Benjamin Pavard ‘to snub new Bayern Munich deal’ following Red Devils enquiry

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      BENJAMIN PAVARD has handed Manchester United a transfer boost as he will reportedly snub a new contract at Bayern Munich.Pavard, 26, is contracted with the German champions until 2024.
      Benjamin Pavard will snub a new Bayern Munich deal in favour of a fresh challengeCredit: Getty
      However, Sport Bild report Pavard will reject a new contract following an enquiry from Man Utd in the summer.
      The Frenchman is understood to be after a fresh challenge after winning all he can with Bayern.
      In November, he told Gazzetta dello Sport: “I’ve won everything with Bayern. I’m ready to evaluate new and interesting projects.”
      Pavard’s market value currently stands at £30million as per transfermarkt.
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      Erik ten Hag is understood to have wanted to sign the former Stuttgart star, who can play right-back or centre-back.
      But no bid ever came in from the Red Devils, with Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro brought in to bolster the team’s spine instead.
      Should United make a move for him again, they are likely to face competition from both AC Milan and Barcelona.
      A particular interest already exists for Milan after Pavard admitted he would like to play with compatriot Olivier Giroud.
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      Pavard started the first game of France’s World Cup campaign, but has not featured since being displaced by Jules Kounde at right-back – with team-mates split over the decision.
      France are in action later today in the World Cup semi-final against Morocco. More

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      Frenkie de Jong ‘set to snub Man Utd and Chelsea again with Barcelona star prepared to agree transfer to Euro giant’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED and Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong could snub a move to England in favour of joining Bayern Munich, according to reports.The Dutchman was heavily linked with the Prem duo in the recent window although he ended up staying with Barcelona.
      Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona is still uncertainCredit: AP
      But he was said to be unhappy with Barca for trying to force him to leave.
      As a result, De Jong found himself out of the team following a summer of uncertainty, starting just one of Barca’s first four La Liga games.
      He’s since won his place back and has established himself as a regular once again.
      But his future still remains in doubt.
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      According to Spanish outlet Sport, the midfielder wants to stay at the Nou Camp.
      However, Bayern Munich, another who were interested in the summer, are hoping to take advantage of Barcelona’s financial mess.
      And the report claims the ex-Ajax star would be “tempted” by a switch to the Bundesliga.
      Meanwhile, Bayern are “convinced” that Barcelona might be forced to sell next summer, with another year off his contract likely to make for a more reasonable price.
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      On the pitch, De Jong enjoyed an impressive World Cup, helping Holland reach the quarter-finals before they suffered penalty heartache against Argentina.
      The 25-year-old played all-but four minutes, chipping in with one goal and one assist. More

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      Zlatan Ibrahmovic claims ‘we will never know the true story’ behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial Man Utd exit

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      ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has insisted the truth about Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial Manchester United exit will never come out. Ronaldo, 37, is without a club after his contract with the Red Devils was terminated following a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
      Zlatan Ibrahimovic has declared the truth to the Cristiano Ronaldo-Manchester United split will never come to lightCredit: Getty
      Ronaldo is now without a club after United terminated his contractCredit: AFP
      Ibrahimovic believes both Ronaldo and the club “protected” themselvesCredit: AFP
      Following his departure, Erik ten Hag – spotted having dinner with Robin van Persie – opened up with his own point of view on Ronaldo’s exit.
      However, former Man Utd ace Ibrahimovic has warned the real truth of the matter may never emerge, but declared he would tell the ugly truth if he was in the same situation.
      Speaking to reporters in Dubai, he said: “His exiting United, I think when things happen, we will never know the true story.
      “They say what they want to say, he says what he needs to say to protect himself, then you have the coach that says these things to protect himself.
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      “Then the club says things – not like me, I will tell you how it really happened. But we are all different. Everybody is careful about their image.
      “For me the perfect image is being yourself. The true story we will not know my friend.”
      Ronaldo has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
      Reports have suggested an eye-watering salary of £173million-per-year has been offered to the Portugal legend.
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      Ibrahimovic, whose nation Sweden did not qualify for the World Cup, is currently out injured after undergoing knee surgery which was expected to keep him out until early 2023.
      But this has not stopped the 41-year-old, ever a candid speaker, from voicing his views.
      This includes him suggesting Ligue 1 has lost its appeal since he left Paris Saint-Germain in 2016.
      Ibrahimovic showed sympathy for Ronaldo after his World Cup exit – when he was pictured crying walking down the tunnel after the game.
      He added: “Everybody wants to win the World Cup; not everybody gets to win the World Cup.
      “Everybody is trying and if you don’t win it obviously you’ll get emotional, if you win it, you get also emotional in a different way.” More

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      Man Utd have NO IDEA when Jadon Sancho will play again as Erik ten Hag has heart-to-hearts with troubled £73m star

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      ERIK TEN HAG has no idea when Jadon Sancho will return to action after a series of heart-to-heart talks with the troubled star.Manchester United’s £73million winger missed the club’s break in Spain last week and is working alone on a specialised schedule to help him recover physically and mentally from his problems.
      Jadon Sancho has been struggling ever since his arrival to Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
      Sancho, 23, who agreed with boss Ten Hag to a trip to the Netherlands for fitness and mental wellness last month, is unlikely to play  for  United  again before the New Year.
      Ten Hag said: “I have had several talks with Jadon. Right now, he is not here.
      “We got a drop of level and that happens sometimes, you don’t know why or what is causing it.
      “That is what we’re doing now, trying to research and now we try to get him back there. It’s a combination of physical but also mentally.
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      “We want to bring him back as quickly as possible but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be.”
      Sancho has not played for United since the 1-1 Premier League draw with Chelsea on October 22.
      The former Borussia Dortmund wideman suffered a bout of illness while Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho both shone on the left flank in his absence.
      Sancho closed his social media accounts before spending time in the Netherlands, with the club stating he wanted to concentrate on his family and fitness.
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      But he did not travel with his team-mates for their two-game Spanish break last week.
      Ten Hag saw a massive drop in the player’s pre- season performances after just a few games of the new Prem campaign.
      Sancho will not be in the squad to take on Burnley in their Carabao Cup fourth-round tie next Wednesday.
      In July last year he missed a penalty in England’s shootout defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
      The other unlucky England players that day, Rashford and Bukayo Saka, returned to the squad and were key parts of the World Cup campaign.
      But after his drop in form, Sancho was not even in the running for a place on the plane to Qatar.
      Meanwhile, his Old Trafford and England team-mates Rashford, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire will be offered special counselling if they need it to get over their World Cup heartbreak.
      Even when France’s Raphael Varane and Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez return — either as a winner or a loser — there will be someone on hand to help them.
      United’s backroom staff found it difficult to lift players after last year’s Euros, especially the Three Lions contingent.
      Ten Hag added: “We are prepared for every situation.
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      “There will be some who are really happy and some really disappointed.
      “And something can be in between, maybe, when you’re playing the final but lose, you’re going to first be really disappointed.”
      Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag doesn’t know when Jadon Sancho will playCredit: Getty
      Manchester United ace Jadon Sancho has been training alone in the Netherlands More

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      Jadon Sancho seeing sports psychologist as Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag admits he is baffled by star’s collapse in form

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      THE SIGNS were all there yet nobody appeared to wonder if Jadon Sancho might still be suffering inside.Three managers on, Erik ten Hag is finally trying to get to the bottom of why Manchester United’s £73million signing in July 2021 started badly and fell away.
      Manchester United ace Jadon Sancho has been struggling at Old TraffordCredit: Getty
      Sancho is seeing a sports psychologist to help improve his gameCredit: Getty
      Why he has struggled so badly — to the extent he was well out of contention for England’s World Cup squad — given he was touted as the perfect package.
      Whether, for example, Sancho ever did get over his penalty shootout miss that left him in floods of tears after England’s Euro 2020 final heartbreak against Italy.
      Or later, that he lost his way during the incendiary return to United of Cristiano Ronaldo.
      Ten Hag is trying to get to the bottom of how Sancho, only 17 months after arriving as a superstar signing from Borussia Dortmund, has become the lost soul of Old Trafford.
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      With the help of sports psychologists and fitness trainers, Sancho is working alone to try to find a way back. Ten Hag cannot say when that will be, either.
      He reveals only that he has had a series of discussions with the 22-year-old to try to help him through.
      Instead of being with his team-mates at their training camp in southern Spain last week, Sancho was working alone in the Netherlands with trusted coaches and advisers.
      Ten Hag said: “We didn’t see him for the last games — he wasn’t in the right status, in the right fitness state.
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      “So now he’s on an individual programme and hopefully we’ll see him back soon. Sometimes there are circumstances with fitness and mood. He was good on our pre-season tour but also when the league started he played some good games, like Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal.
      “After, we got a drop of level and what happens sometimes, you don’t know why or what is causing it.”
      Sancho last played for United on October 14 in a 1–1 draw with Chelsea but has dropped off the radar since.
      Last month, before heading to Ten Hag’s homeland, he took down all his social media accounts.
      We didn’t see him for the last games — he wasn’t in the right status, in the right fitness state.Ten Hag on Sancho
      United sources briefed it was a move aimed at concentrating on his family and the second half of the season.
      The club are now anxious to make clear that there is nothing sinister about his disappearance and that the only plot is to make him the man he was again.
      One who, in the campaign before signing for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, scored 16 goals for Dortmund.
      He left there having hit the net 50 times in 137 games for the German side but has only eight in 52 appearances for United.
      Sancho’s was a name rarely mentioned in the months building up to Gareth Southgate picking his 26-man World Cup squad.
      Having been put on as a sub to take one of those penalties against Italy at Wembley, he has not worn an England jersey since.
      Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag is baffled by Sancho’s collapse in confidenceCredit: Getty
      Ten Hag is not giving up on SanchoCredit: Reuters
      Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka also missed from the spot and all three were subjected to appalling racial abuse from faceless internet trolls.
      Yet Saka and Rashford are now recognised England heroes.
      Too often since signing for United 12, days before that awful experience at Wembley, Sancho has been unrecognisable from the one who lit up the Bundesliga.
      Rashford has re-emerged from under his own shell thanks to the careful guidance of Ten Hag.
      The Old Trafford manager will be hoping that, whatever has damaged Sancho so much, more TLC will have the same result.
      He has only shone intermittently since Solskjaer replaced him with Anthony Martial in a 1-0 win over Wolves on August 29 last year on his first start for United.
      He was so upset that he had to be comforted on the bench by then coach Mike Phelan.
      Just over a week later he was replaced again — this time by Jesse Lingard — and once again he looked miserable.
      No questions were asked, in public at least, as to why it looked like he was carrying the world on his shoulders.
      And his difficult start appears to have been overlooked amid the euphoria of Ronaldo’s return.
      Tellingly, not long before he was hooked for that second time, Ronaldo ridiculed Sancho for not delivering a goalscoring chance for him.
      That was against Newcastle in a 4-1 win when the veteran scored two on his return. It was all about Ronaldo and from all sides.
      Sancho has been unable to replicate his Bundesliga success at Old TraffordCredit: Getty
      As the Second Coming unravelled, Ronaldo would point the finger at far younger team-mates, with Sancho thought to be one of those he condemned for not showing the right attitude.
      Ten Hag intends to get to the bottom of the Sancho mystery to save a Red Devil who has been to hell and is not back yet.
      At least he saw some tell-tale signs that something was going wrong.
      He said: “Most of the time it comes slowly. On the summer tour he played really well, the start of the league he played really well. After the break his performance was lower.
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      “First you observe but then also the stats back it up. In the start of the season he had goals and assists, key moments and key actions, then it became less and less.
      “We want him back as soon as possible — but I can’t give a prognosis of when that will be.” More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘relationship with Jorge Mendes erodes as clubs begin bypassing agent to contact Portugal star’

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO’S relationship with long-time agent Jorge Mendes is believed to be falling apart, according to reports.The Portuguese superstar, 37, succeeded in having his Manchester United contract ripped up last month following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
      Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Mendes have had a relationship for nearly 20 yearsCredit: Reuters
      Mendes’ relationship with Ronaldo is thought to be erodingCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Following his departure from Old Trafford, he then concentrated on trying to win the World Cup with Portugal.
      But their quarter-final exit at the hands of Morocco means he flies back from Qatar a free agent in search of a new club.
      Ronaldo has been linked with big offers from Saudi Arabian sides Al Hilal and Al-Nassr.
      But it remains to be seen whether he will take up those offers – with European interest thought to be few and far between.
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      And according to AS, clubs are now bypassing Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, and speaking to the player himself.
      Mendes, 56, has represented Ronaldo ever since he left Sporting Lisbon to join Man Utd in 2003.
      But now he is thought to be less involved in the Real Madrid legend’s dealings.
      And Antero Henrique, head of the Qatar Stars League, is trying to convince Ronaldo to stay in Qatar after experiencing the culture at the World Cup.
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      However, Henrique has reportedly gone straight to the player in an attempt to lure him back to the Middle East – with Mendes thought to be working on an alternative proposal for his client.
      Ronaldo scored just one goal at the World Cup and was dropped after the group stage.
      But he did equal the men’s international appearance record in the defeat to Morocco, earning his 196th cap for Portugal – a career which includes 118 goals. More

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      Erik ten Hag will be privately delighted by Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer exit but who could Man Utd sign to replace him?

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      IT feels like the start of a new season.  The winter World Cup might not have pleased all fans, but there may have been one or two Premier League chairmen and managers who welcomed the break.  
      Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will have to find a replacement for Cristiano RonaldoCredit: Rex
      The pause might have helped some teams that perhaps struggled before a World Cup ball was kicked. For them, the gap in the season may have acted as something of a circuit-breaker, and the opportunity to press the reset button.  
      For others, the World Cup will have come at an unfortunate time. Take Arsenal for example, who were performing well, sitting top of the Premier League and gaining great momentum.  
      Can they pick-up where they left off? To complicate matters, they’ve now lost star striker Gabriel Jesus, who is expected to be out for a number of months, after sustaining a knee injury whilst away on international duty with Brazil at the World Cup. 
      For Manchester United, the time away should have given Erik ten Hag time to reflect on his first few months in charge and prepare for a hectic second half of the campaign.
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      There’s plenty to play for in the league with a place in the Champions League very much up for grabs. Burnley are the visitors in the next round of the Carabao Cup, while a home draw against Everton in the FA Cup means there’s an all Premier League affair to look forward to.  
      Oh, and have we mentioned Barcelona in the knockout round of the Europa League?  
      One positive to take from the last month is Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
      The United manager will no doubt be privately delighted that the dark cloud has moved on, and while United’s two winter friendlies have resulted in two defeats, there will be a sense of relief at Old Trafford (especially amongst some staff members), that the unwanted distraction is no longer present.  
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      Ten Hag should take great credit and strength from how he dealt with the Ronaldo saga, but he’s gone now and it’s time to look forward.  
      Supporters are already looking ahead to the January transfer window and who the club might try and sign. They overspent last summer, so is money available to fill the large Ronaldo shaped hole? 
      To buy a striker that can contribute week-in, week-out, you are probably looking at spending the best part of £100million – the type of money United simply don’t have.  
      With that in mind, we can rule out the permanent transfer of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Atlético Madrid’s Joao Felix. 
      United are talking to Cody Gakpo’s agent to see if they can conclude an unlikely deal this winter.
      The PSV Eindhoven forward was pursued in the summer but the Dutch side will want near double what they asked for in July.
      That is not only because his absence will provide an unwanted disruption to their squad – but also due to how he performed for the Netherlands at the World Cup, scoring three times in five matches.  
      If that’s not doable now, what about a return for Memphis Depay? He struggled during his first spell at Old Trafford but United are desperate for someone to play in those forward positions, and the Barcelona man might feel like he has unfinished business in Manchester.
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      Would Memphis be the long-term solution? Absolutely not, but United need someone in as quickly as possible in January. 
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