Ronaldo ‘happy to be back’ for United

Cristiano Ronaldo played 45 minutes as he made his first Manchester United appearance in 12 weeks during a 1-1 friendly draw with Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on Sunday and later proclaimed: “Happy to be back” in a social media post.

The 37-year-old Portugal forward, who missed the club’s preseason tour to Thailand and Australia for personal reasons, reportedly wants to leave United.

Former Real Madrid and Juventus star Ronaldo finished as United’s top scorer last season with 24 goals.

But the campaign as a whole was a huge disappointment for the club, with a sixth-place finish in the Premier League meaning it missed out on qualification for the Champions League.

Ronaldo was left out of United’s squad for Saturday’s friendly with Atletico Madrid in Oslo.

But, commenting on a post on a fan page about him missing the game in Norway, Ronaldo wrote Friday: “Domingo o rei joga” which means “Sunday the king plays”.

Ronaldo applauded fans on both sides of the ground as he led the team out for the warm-up. The veteran forward, who is reported to be in talks about a return to Sporting Lisbon, had one clear-cut chance during his 45-minute appearance but drove over the bar.

Swift exit

Pictures of Ronaldo leaving Old Trafford prior to the final whistle emerged on social media, but United later clarified he was one of a number of players to do so, and said it was not an issue.

Erik ten Hag, United’s new manager, told the club’s website: “It was a mixture between experience and youth (today).

“You saw the attitude was really great, really the intention to cooperate. They fight and work for each other. That was positive.”

New signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez both featured for an hour.

Cote d’Ivoire winger Amad Diallo, 20, gave United the lead early in the second half before Alvaro Garcia equalized for the Spanish side nine minutes later.