Will Ronaldo start Man United's Premier League opener against Brighton on the bench?

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in the starting line-up for Manchester United in the opening match of the English Premier League against Brighton next Sunday, according to the newspaper "Sun".Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly not start Manchester United's opening game of the 2022-23 Premier League season against Brighton next Sunday and probably will be on the bench amid ongoing uncertainty over his future at the club, according to the newspaper "The Sun". The 37-year-old forward was also absent from United's pre-season tour of Bangkok and Australia after the club granted him some additional time off to deal with a family issue. Ronaldo made his United return for the last pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on July 31 - playing just 45 minutes before departing the ground ahead of the full-time whistle. 
Therefore, Erik ten Hag has decided that Ronaldo will start United's opening game of the Premier League season against Brighton on the bench, according to The Sun. The Dutch manager is set to reward Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford with a place in the starting XI after impressing during their pre-season campaign. Ronaldo returned to Manchester United from Juventus last summer after spending 12 years away from the club, and had a good 2021-22 season on a personal level, scoring 24 goals in 38 games in all competitions for the Red Devils, emerging as the club's top scorer. It is reported that Ronaldo wants to leave the club because they will not appear in the Champions League this season, at the age of 37, he is at the end of his career and does not want to miss the opportunity to play in the first club competition in Europe.
The Portuguese superstar has 12 months remaining on his £360,000-a-week deal at Manchester United but stated his desire to leave the club earlier this summer as he looks to pursue Champions League football.