Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a place in the Real Madrid squad ahead of the UEFA Super Cup clash with Manchester United on Tuesday in Macedonia despite not playing a single game in pre-season.
The forward was given extra time off this summer by Zinedine Zidane following his excursions with Portugal in the Confederations Cup, which ended on July 2. And it was thought, in turn, that Ronaldo had no chance of facing his former club and former manager in Skopje.
However, the 32-year-old has been reportedly training hard to put himself in contention for a spot in the squad and will now face United as Madrid look to retain the Super Cup on Tuesday.
The two sides met for a friendly in the scorching Los Angeles heat last month, with Jose Mourinho’s side eventually prevailing on penalties following a 1-1 draw, but Tuesday’s clash will be the first competitive contest since Ronaldo put United out of the Champions League back in February 2013.
Ronaldo will appear against United soon after reportedly telling a Madrid court that he wanted to return to England amid charges of evading £13m in tax through using various offshore companies to bury assets, but Mourinho has already made it clear that bringing the superstar back to Old Trafford would be “mission impossible”.
