Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly only be considered for a spot on the bench in Manchester United's Premier League opener with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon.
The Portugal international made his first appearance of pre-season against Rayo Vallecano last Sunday, playing the opening 45 minutes of what proved to be a 1-1 draw.
Ronaldo missed Man United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to a personal issue, while there has been a host of speculation surrounding his future in recent weeks.
The 37-year-old is believed to be desperately attempting to force a move away from Man United, as he is determined to again play in the Champions League next season.
Ronaldo is reportedly still hopeful that he will be able to leave the 20-time English champions before the end of the week but that appears unlikely at this stage of proceedings.
According to The Sun, the Portuguese is not in head coach Erik ten Hag's thinking when it comes to a starting role against Brighton on Sunday.
Ten Hag has allegedly already decided that Anthony Martial, who scored three times during an impressive pre-season tour, will lead the attack with support from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
As a result, Ronaldo is only battling for a spot on the bench, with the Man United manager needing to decide whether the forward is fit enough to be among the substitutes.
The report claims that even if Ronaldo stays, he could spend time on the bench, with Martial, Rashford and Sancho performing impressively during the preparations for the new campaign.
The Portuguese's agent Jorge Mendes is said to have held discussions with a number of Champions League clubs over a move for his client before the end of the window.
However, the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have ruled themselves out of the running for his signature, while Atletico Madrid and Napoli will struggle to sign him due to the finances involved.
The forward scored 24 goals and registered three assists in 37 appearances for Man United last season, and he still has another 12 months left to run on his contract, with the option of a further year.
Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen are all battling to make their debuts for the 20-time English champions in Sunday's contest with Brighton at Old Trafford. body check tags ::
