Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag drops 3 players for Atletico Madrid trip after meeting with Darren Fletcher - Reports

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag has reportedly dropped three players from the club's trip to Norway, where they face Atletico Madrid on Saturday, July 30.

The Red Devils traveled to the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo without Charlie Savage, Zidane Iqbal and Amad Diallo, along with the injured Raphael Varane. According to the Express, Ten Hag reached this decision after a meeting with Darren Fletcher.

The decision to leave out Iqbal and Savage could hint at a potential loan move for them this summer. The former has featured as a substitute in each of United's four pre-season friendlies this month.

Savage, meanwhile, has made three appearances off the bench, with the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa being the exception. The duo have stayed back with a second-string Manchester United team that will host Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, July 31.

Both the 19-year-old midfielders have never been loaned out in their professional careers. They are a mainstay for Neil Wood's U23 Manchester United team, but have made just a single senior appearance, respectively, for the senior side.

They came on for a solitary minute in United's UEFA Champions League group stage game against BSC Young Boys in the 2021/22 season.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw have also been left back in England. However, it is believed that the decision to drop them from the game against Atletico could have been taken due to illness or injury.

Cristiano Ronaldo could feature for Manchester United against Rayo Vallecano

Cristiano Ronaldo is another high-profile name who did not board the plane to Oslo. The 37-year-old striker missed the team's pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia due to personal reasons.

However, he returned to training earlier this and has hinted that he could feature in Manchester United's match against Vallecano. The former Real Madrid star recently announced his availability for Sunday's game through a comment on Instagram. The Portuguese ace wrote:

"Sunday, the king plays"

Ronaldo has made it clear that he wants to leave Old Trafford this summer after the club failed to qualify for next season's Champions League. The Portuguese icon still has a year left on his contract along with the option to extend it for another season.

It remains to be seen if Ronaldo will consent to that idea. The Portugal international was the club's top scorer last season with 24 goals in 38 matches across all competitions.

Despite his best efforts, the club only managed a sixth-placed finish as well as their lowest points total in a season (58). They will play in the Europa League next season.