29 January 2023 , 11:56
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Cristiano Ronaldo has invited four of his former Manchester United teammates to come out to Saudi Arabia to see him play for Al-Nassr, according to a fresh report.
The 37-year-old completed his mega-money switch to the Middle-East last month following his release from Manchester United back in November. But he had to wait over a fortnight to play his first match after being banned for two games for hitting a phone out of an Everton fan's hand while playing for the Red Devils.
Having scored twice on his first appearance in Saudi Arabia in an All-Star game against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldo made his Al-Nassr bow in a 1-0 win over Ettifaq last Sunday. However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner failed to find the net in that game, and also drew a blank in his second game against Al-Ittihad on Thursday.
Despite his struggles in front of goal, Ronaldo is supposedly 'loving life' in Saudi Arabia and has now invited four of his closest ex-teammates out to see him. As per the Sun, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Raphael Varane have all been asked to go and visit the Portuguese superstar in the Middle East.
This could also be back in Portugal if their schedules permit it, where Ronaldo is in the process of buying a large mansion in Lisbon. It is understood the forward feels like he hasn't had the chance to say a proper goodbye to his friends at United as his exit occurred just before the start of Portugal's World Cup campaign.
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Ronaldo has been in touch with Maguire, Fernandes, Casemiro and Varane to see if they will go and visit him in the near future, although it could prove difficult given the Red Devils' packed fixture list. United are the only English team still to be in four competitions and face the prospect of playing up to 70 games this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring for the Saudi All-Star team against Paris Saint-Germain (Getty Images)In actual fact, the Red Devils will play eight matches in February and they may even not have a free midweek up until the next international break in late March. Those four selected United players are also likely to represent their country in that period, leaving time for them to see Ronaldo very limited.
The ex-Real Madrid star may have to wait until the summer to reunite with his closest United pals - and he could have yet another trophy in his arms by that time. Al-Nassr currently sit top of the Saudi Pro League, having won 10 of their 14 league matches, losing just one game.
They are set to be pushed all the way by rivals Al-Hilal, but Ronaldo will be keen to add his first trophy in Saudi Arabia to his cabinet. Ronaldo is next set to be in action on Friday, February 3 when Al-Nassr travel to Al Fateh, before taking on Al-Wehda and Al-Taawoun.