Christiano Ronaldo finally had his first training at Carrington complex, Manchester United since departing the club 12 years ago. In what was sure to be an emotional return for the iconic forward, his training session with the new teammates went well, full of happy vibes and a sense of bubbling excitement from the club at large. More to that, Ronaldo had a chance to dawn the training grounds at United due to him being suspended for his country's World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan. Ronaldo had earlier picked a yellow card after a trademark celebration that had him out of his jersey once he scored against Ireland in the World Cup Qualifiers.
Ronaldo also met with boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his former team-mate, in the manager's office before being introduced to the players. With challenges to come at home and abroad in the near future, including Saturday's Premier League match against Newcastle and next Tuesday's start of the Champions League at Young Boys, it is hoped the striker will be ready to assist the side and begin to have an immediate impact in his second spell at the club.
With five Ballon d'Ors to his name, Ronaldo is now undeniably the first name on the team sheet for the season ahead, though his return to Manchester cannot be discussed without the impact it will have on those promising youngsters below him. Ronaldo signed for United as an 18-year-old and had registered 11 goals and 14 assists by the time he was 20. Greenwood already has 32 goals and 10 assists to his name and does not celebrate his 20th birthday until the start of next month. The 19-year-old has arguably been the second-most consistent United performer throughout the calendar year, eclipsing the output of Bruno Fernandes, with Luke Shaw probably the only player currently more reliable.