Cristiano Ronaldo, 37 will start the season on the bench as Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag would reportedly prefer to stick with the front three of Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford that served him so well on the pre-season tour.
Ronaldo missed the tour of Bangkok and Australia for family reasons and has played just 45 minutes since then, in Sunday’s draw with Rayo Vallecano.
"That is not enough for boss Erik ten Hag to start him in their Prem opener at home to Brighton on Sunday," according to an Exclusive report by The Sun.
That means even when Ronaldo is up to speed he could be benched, the report noted.
And it will not go down well because he was furious in March when interim boss Ralf Rangnick dropped him for the derby away to Manchester City.
Rangnick told Ronaldo he would be an impact substitute in the game, which United lost 4-1.
But an angry Ronaldo then developed an injury and flew off to Portugal.
On Sunday, the former Real Madrid striker had a touchline tiff with Ten Hag during a break in play against Vallecano.
He was then the only player subbed at half-time, The Sun report added.
Ronaldo reportedly still wants to leave United before the transfer window closes, although a lack of interest from other clubs may mean the 37-year-old has little choice but to stay at the Theatre of Dreams, according to givemesport.com.