CHRIS WHEELER: The Cristiano Ronaldo saga has thrown a spanner in the works for Erik ten Hag just as the wheels were starting to turn with four new arrivals imminent… a replacement for CR7 was never part of United's summer transfer plan

• e-mail

One step forward and one step back, Manchester United’s stop-start summer was summed up in the space of a few hours on Monday.

The news that Christian Eriksen has agreed to move to Old Trafford — and could be joined by Frenkie de Jong, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia — was eclipsed by more dramatic developments in the Cristiano Ronaldo saga.

There is no doubt the wheels are starting to turn under new manager Erik ten Hag but the uncertainty over Ronaldo’s future is threatening to throw a spanner in the works. 

The uncertainty over Cristiano Ronaldo's future is a cause of concern for Manchester United

Ronaldo has told United he wants to leave and is currently absent from training at Carrington

The situation with Ronaldo has added to the problems faced by new manager Erik ten Hag

Ten minutes before the Portuguese superstar was due to report for pre-season training, confirmation came from United that he has been given compassionate leave for ‘family reasons’, which the club have accepted. 

Those reasons were unclear on Monday night although any cynics would do well to recall that the player and his partner Georgina Rodriguez suffered the loss of their newborn baby son in April.

The club could not say when Ronaldo will return or if he will be in the party on Friday when United leave for a pre-season trip to Thailand and Australia.

On a more positive note, free agent Christian Eriksen is set to join United on a three-year deal

The 37-year-old was later seen arriving at the Portugal national training headquarters in Lisbon.

Ronaldo has told United that he wants to leave if the right offer comes in, although the club maintain he is not for sale.

That does not seem to have stopped his agent Jorge Mendes from touting his star client to other clubs less than a year after he engineered Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford on £500,000-a-week after garnering interest from Manchester City.

Mendes appears to have a potential buyer in new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, who is seeking a replacement for Romelu Lukaku.

Tyrell Malacia is set to be Ten Hag's first signing after completing the second part of a medical

Frenkie de Jong’s move to Old Trafford from Barcelona for an initial fee of £56m, potentially rising to £73m, rests on the clubs agreeing on the structure of bonus payments

Mendes and Boehly held initial talks last month but it is thought that Ronaldo remains a fall-back option for Chelsea, even if United can be brought to the table.

Napoli are the other club considering a move after Bayern Munich showed little interest.

The suggestion that Ronaldo is ready to turn his back on United due to the absence of Champions League football is a curious one given that has been inevitable for several months. 

A more likely explanation is a growing concern over the club’s lack of progress in the transfer market, although that seems to be changing.

United appear to have edged ahead of Arsenal in the race for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez

It emerged on Monday that Eriksen has decided to join United on a three-year deal as a free agent, continuing a remarkable comeback just 13 months after he suffered a cardiac arrest playing for Denmark at Euro 2020.

Although Eriksen is 30, United have a long-standing interest in the playmaker and Ten Hag was impressed when he trained with Ajax reserves during his recovery before joining Brentford. Eriksen still needs to pass a medical and agree personal terms, but United want the deal done before Friday.

Malacia is set to become Ten Hag’s first signing after completing the second part of his medical on Monday ahead of a £12.9million move from Feyenoord.

De Jong’s move to Old Trafford from Barcelona for an initial £56m, potentially rising to £73m, rests on the clubs agreeing on the structure of bonus payments and United appear to have edged ahead of Arsenal in the race for Ajax centre back Martinez.

There is only so much money in the pot, though, and buying a replacement striker for Ronaldo was never part of the plan.