Manchester United players given warm welcome as they are greeted by Thai fans after touching down at Bangkok Airport… but Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence still looms large ahead of the club’s first pre-season tour in three years
- United’s 31-man squad arrived in Bangkok on Saturday for the start of the tour
- The players were greeted by hundreds of Thai fans upon arrival at the airport
- New United boss Erik ten Hag took part in a welcome ceremony in the capital
- Ten Hag’s first game as manager is against Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday
Manchester United have been greeted by a horde of local fans after touching down in Bangkok ahead of their first pre-season tour in three years.
New manager Erik ten Hag took part in a welcoming ceremony as his 31-man squad – which does not include wantaway star Cristiano Ronaldo – arrived in the Thai capital on Saturday.
United play Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday before heading to Australia to face Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa on their pre-season tour.
United players were greeted at the airport by hundreds of fans from Thailand ahead of the start of their pre-season tour
New United manager Erik ten Hag took part in a welcoming ceremony at Bangkok airport
The team posed for a photo shortly after touching down in the Thai capital on Saturday
The game against arch-rivals Liverpool will be Ten Hag’s first in charge of the club and he looked focused as he led his players through the airport.
Fans will be disappointed that only one new signing – Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia, who joined from Feyenoord in a £14.6million deal – boarded the plane to Thailand.
United are still working on a deal to bring Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, have submitted a £43m bid for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez and are set to sign free agent Christian Eriksen after the Dane verbally agreed to join the club.
Ronaldo has not travelled after being given additional time off to deal with a ‘family issue’. The Portuguese star wants to leave United if they receive a suitable offer for him in the summer.
Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia (right) is United’s only signing of the summer transfer window so far
Fans also gathered outside the airport in the Thai capital to wave off United’s official tour bus
As well as Ronaldo, Phil Jones, Brandon Williams and Andreas Pereira are the other first-team players who will miss the tour.
Williams is staying in the UK and will train at Carrington as he recovers from a minor issue, while Jones is to follow a specialist pre-season programme in an attempt to prevent potential injuries during the 2022-2023 campaign.
Pereira has also been afforded some time off following his loan spell with Flamengo last term. The Brazilian has agreed to move to Premier League side Fulham in a deal worth £10m.
The travelling party includes a number of experienced players such as Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes, but also features a host of youngsters looking to prove their worth.
Alejandro Garnacho, Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage, who all made their senior debuts last season, have made the trip.
United face Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday before they head to Australia for the rest of the tour
Tahith Chong, James Garner and Ethan Laird, who have returned from their loan spells last season, are also set to feature for United over the coming weeks.
Facundo Pellistri will also be hoping to pull on his United shirt over the coming days after training well with the squad at Carrington. The Uruguayan has had two spells on loan at Spanish side Alaves since joining the club for £9million in 2020.
Despite their recent travails United remain hugely popular in the Far East. The club also travelled to Asia on their last pre-season tour in 2019.
Bruno Fernandes was all smiles after touching down with the United team in Bangkok
Fans held up signs, shirts and banners as they greeted United’s players after they arrived in Thailand
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