Manchester United was met by a swarm of local fans after landing in Bangkok for their first pre-season trip in three years.
On Saturday, new manager Erik ten Hag attended a welcoming ceremony with his 31-man squad, which did not feature wantaway star, Cristiano Ronaldo.
United plays Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday before flying to Australia for preseason matches against Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa.
Ten Hag’s first game in command of the club will be against archrivals Liverpool, and he appeared concentrated as he led his team through the airport.
Only one new addition, Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia, who joined from Feyenoord for £14.6 million, boarded the plane to Thailand.
United is still negotiating with Barcelona to sign Frenkie de Jong, have made a £43 million approach for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez, and are expected to sign free agent Christian Eriksen after the Dane verbally agreed to join the club.
Ronaldo has not traveled after being granted more time off to deal with a “family matter.” The Portuguese star wants to leave United if a decent offer comes in for him this summer.
Other first-team players who will miss the tour include Ronaldo, Phil Jones, Brandon Williams, and Andreas Pereira.
Williams will remain in the UK and train at Carrington as he recovers from a minor injury, while Jones will participate in a specialized pre-season program in an effort to avoid injuries during the 2022-2023 season.
Pereira has also been given some time off after his loan spell with Flamengo last season. The Brazilian has agreed to join Premier League side Fulham in a £10 million deal.
The traveling group includes a number of seasoned players, such as Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes, as well as a slew of young players aiming to make an impression.
Alejandro Garnacho, Zidane Iqbal, and Charlie Savage have all made the trip after making their senior debuts last season.
Tahith Chong, James Garner, and Ethan Laird, who were on loan with United last season, are also expected to play in the coming weeks.
Facundo Pellistri, who trained well with the group at Carrington, will also be eager to put on his United shirt in the coming days. Since joining the club for £9 million in 2020, the Uruguayan has had two loan spells at Spanish club Alaves.
Despite their recent struggles, United is still extremely loved in the Far East. On their most recent pre-season tour in 2019, the club also visited Asia.
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
