Manchester United land in Thailand without Ronaldo
Premier League giants Manchester United arrived at Don Mueang Airport on Saturday ahead of their match against Liverpool at Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday.
About 100 die-hard Red Devils fans waited at the airport for more than two hours to welcome their favourite players back to Thailand.
Manchester Utd last visited Bangkok nine years ago in 2013.
For this trip, new manager Erik ten Hag led a squad of 31 players off the plane.
The full squad list for Tuesday’s match is as follows:
Goalkeepers: David De Gea, Tom Heaton, Nathan Bishop, and Matej Kovar
Defenders: Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, Ethan Laird, Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, Alex Telles, Axel Tuanzebe, Raphaël Varane, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Midfielders: Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, James Garner, Hannibal Mejbri, Zidane Iqbal, Scott McTominay, Facundo Pellistri, Charlie Savage, and Donny van de Beek
Forwards: Tahith Chong, Anthony Elanga, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho
However, Christiano Ronaldo did not travel with the team, citing a “family issue” he had to deal with. According to transfer rumours in England, the Portuguese superstar is looking for a new team, with Chelsea favourites to secure his services for next season.
One fan waiting at the airport said he was still excited to see other players as he was a devoted Manchester United follower.
Another said that she was sad not to see Ronaldo but understood the situation and his reason for wanting to leave the team.
The team immediately headed to the Athenee Hotel in Bangkok, where they will check in before holding a private training session at the STB Academy this evening.
The last time Manchester United played a pre-season match in Thailand, David Moyes was manager. That visit saw the Red Devils lose 1-0 to a Thai All-Star XI team, with Teeratep Winothai scoring the winner.
Manchester United will hold a press conference on Monday at 4pm followed by a public training session at Rajamangala Stadium will from 5pm to 6.30pm.
Meanwhile, the first batch of Liverpool players is expected to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday at 12pm. Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Egyptian star Mohamed Salah will take a later flight to join up with the squad in Bangkok.
Liverpool will hold their public training session after Utd’s at Rajamangala Stadium on Monday from 7.30pm to 9pm.
The match between the two teams will kick off at Rajamangala on Tuesday at 8pm.
