Cristiano Ronaldo has accused the media of spreading "lies" regarding his future at Manchester United.
Speculation over whether the Portugal forward will leave Old Trafford has dominated the headlines for much of the summer transfer window.
Ronaldo, 37, missed United’s pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia because for "family" reasons and it was widely reported the striker asked to leave the club to play Champions League football after club missed out following a disappointing 2021/22 campaign.
But United maintain the player, who scored 24 goals last season across competitions, is not for sale and remains an integral part of the plans of new boss Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes of United’s 4-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday, which left them bottom of the Premier League. It followed an opening day defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
In a reply to a fan account on Instagram which referred to a report linking the United frontman to Atletico Madrid, Ronaldo said: “They [will] know the truth when they interview in a couple weeks. The media is telling lies.
“I have a notebook and in the last few months of the 100 news I made, only five were right. Imagine how it is. Stick with that tip.”
Brentford v Man United ratings
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BRENTFORD RATINGS: David Raya - 7. The Spaniard did not have much to deal during his side's first-half rampage. Manchester United offered a bit more in the second half but nothing which really tested Raya. Getty -
Rico Henry - 7. Was able to limit Jadon Sancho to an ineffective performance and caused problems going forward down the left flank. AP -
Mads Roerslev - 8. A solid day at the office for Roerslev, who didn’t put a foot wrong all game. AFP -
Ben Mee - 8. Comfortable afternoon defensively on his home debut and kept the opponents' front three at bay. His performance was topped off with a goal at point blank range as his side made use of their physical advantage at set pieces. AFP -
Pontus Jansson – 8. It was an impressive performance all round for the Swede. He dealt with everything that came his way defensively, keeping Cristiano Ronaldo quiet all game. Up the other end of the pitch, the defender used his height to be a constant nuisance in set pieces. Getty -
Aaron Hickey – 7. The Scotsman did not find Marcus Rashford’s pace an issue and was defensively sound. Like his teammate on the opposite flank, Hickey also caused problems going forward. AP -
Mathias Jensen - 10. A ruthless performance from the Dane, his constant pressing led to his sides first two goals, scoring the latter himself after stealing the ball off Christian Eriksen. He also caused numerous problems for the United defence with his set piece deliveries. AFP -
Christian Norgaard – 7. Perhaps not in the limelight as much as his two other teammates in the midfield, however had a composed performance sitting the deepest out of the three. Did well to keep creativity from Utd’s midfield at a minimum, one of which being former teammate Eriksen. Getty -
Josh Dasilva – 8. He followed on from netting his sides equaliser last week as he opened the scoring after David De Gea spilled the midfielder's shot on goal. An energetic performance and frustrated the opposition. Reuters -
Bryan Mbeumo – 9. A hardworking performance which was rewarded with a classy touch and finish to make it 4-0 and put the fixture to bed in the first half. His work running down the channels and constant pressing played a key part in his side’s dominance. Reuters -
Ivan Toney – 9. Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Toney did not disappoint. He caused constant problems for the United defence, making the most of the mis-match handed to him with Lisandro Martinez. Also, a fantastic assist for Brentford’s fourth. Getty -
SUBS: Vitaly Janelt (Dasilva 62') – 6. Slotted in nicely in what was an uneventful second half. Yoane Wissa (Mbeumo 73') - N/A. Did well but Brentford were already cruising. Getty -
Shandon Baptiste - (Jensen 74') - N/A. Did well to pick up from where the Dane had left off. PA -
Frank Onyeka (Norgaard 80') – N/A. Picked up a knock while on and didn’t make much of an impact. Mads Bech Sorensen (Hickey 80') - N/A. Getty -
MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea - 1. Not kept a clean sheet since before Christmas away from home and spilled a soft shot after nine minutes for Brentford to take the lead. Shambles of a second goal. Confidence on the floor and it starts at the back. Made better saves in the second half and fronted up to take blame for the defeat. AP -
Luke Shaw - 1. Good one-two in an early foray forward. And that was about it. Brentford had similar tactics to Brighton, dominating in the centre knowing United would be forced wide or even struggle to retain possession. Off at half time. He was fortunate to last that long. AFP -
Harry Maguire - 1. Booked after 15 in a first 30 minutes when he was under constant pressure. He’s the captain of a team who were all over the place, a team who were a disgrace to the name Manchester United. Reuters -
Lisandro Martinez - 1. Up against the far bigger Ivan Toney and Brentford were right onto him. No chance against Mee for the third as Brentford exploited United on set plays. Horrendous half of football. Reuters -
Diogo Dalot - 1. Had United’s first shot on target, which was cheered ironically by Brentford fans. The timing between United’s full-backs and the wide men in relation to who attacks where was awful and he was targeted by better Brentford players. AP -
Fred - 1. Played as the only defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, but the game passed him by. United were so easy to read. And exploit. Awful week for a player who had a good pre-season. Reuters -
Christian Eriksen - 1. Caught in possession after 15 in a move which led to Maguire’s booking. Shambles. Volleyed wide after 80 as United had their best spell of the game. Booed by some of the home fans – who he’d served so well last season but turned down to join United. Reuters -
Bruno Fernandes - 1. Skied a shot over after 10, just as he’d done early on against Brighton last week. At the very least he has to hit the target, not send the ball towards Canary Wharf. He’s supposed to be a leader and United need their top men to stand up. Reuters -
Jadon Sancho - 1. Did he play? Zero pressure in the final third against a Brentford side who didn’t have a full team out. The tactical instructions came from Erik Ten Hag and he got it all wrong once again, but the 4-0 defeat was on the players too. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo - 2. Caught in possession before the opening goal – though he claimed a foul. Headed over after 52 and had a couple of chances. Fuming. Aren’t all United fans? PA -
Marcus Rashford - 1. Beautiful early turn to play in Ronaldo when the score was 0-0. And that was about it until he crossed for Eriksen after 66. Genuine surprise from United fans that PSG are interested in him. Getty -
SUBS: Tyrell Malacia (Shaw, HT) - 5. Showed a bit of steel. Shame that his first games in England are in such trying circumstances. Deserves to start over Shaw. PA -
Raphael Varane (Martinez, HT) - 5. He’s one of the best defenders in the world. Needs to show it for this United side who are going to be eaten alive in the Premier League if this continues. Getty -
Scott McTominay (Fred, HT) - 5. Dropped for this game to make way for Ronaldo. One of the better players in the second half. Booked. Getty -
Anthony Elanga (Sancho 60') - 3. Made as much difference as Sancho. Donny van de Beek (Eriksen 86') N/A. Getty
Manchester United will look to kickstart their Premier League campaign when they host Liverpool on Monday night.
United’s owners have come under fire following the team’s terrible start, with former defender Gary Neville warning the club could finish in the bottom half of the Premier League if they do not address their “horror story” recruitment strategy.
Billionaire Elon Musk, meanwhile, sparked a social media frenzy when he teased the prospect of buying United from the Glazer family.
The Tesla founder made the comment in a late-night tweet, then later clarified his position by saying he had no intention of buying a sports team and that it had been a “long-running joke”.
150 summer transfers - in pictures
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Perr Schuurs - Ajax to Torino (£8m). AFP -
Paco Alcacer - Villarreal to Sharjah (loan). Getty Images -
Matheus Nunes - Sporting to Wolves (£38m). AFP -
Tanguy Nianzou - Bayern Munich to Sevilla (£16.9m). AFP -
Alan Virginius - Sochaux to Lille (£3.8m). AFP -
Thilo Kehrer - PSG to West Ham (£10.1m). Getty Images -
Pervis Estupinan - Villarreal to Brighton (£15.1m). Getty Images -
Destiny Udogie - Udinese to Tottenham (£15.1m). Loaned back to Udinese. Reuters -
Sergio Gomez - Anderlecht to Manchester City (£11m). Photo: Manchester City -
Alex Collado - Barcelona to Elche (loan). AFP -
Remo Freuler - Atalanta to Nottingham Forest (£9m). AP -
Marc Bartra - Real Betis to Tranbzonspor (undisclosed fee). Getty Images -
Giovani Lo Celso - Tottenham to Villarreal (loan). Getty Images -
Cheikhou Kouyate - Crystal Palace to Nottingham Forest (free). Getty Images -
Emmanuel Dennis - Watford to Nottingham Forest (£20m). Getty Images -
Nico González - Barcelona to Valencia (loan). AP Photo -
Luca Pellegrini - Juventus to Eintracht Frankfurt (loan). AFP -
Daniel Wass - Atletico Madrid to Brondby (£1.7m). EPA -
Pablo Marí - Arsenal to Monza (loan). AP -
Dries Mertens - Napoli to Galatasaray (free). AFP -
Jordan Veretout - Roma to Marseille (£9.3m). Reuters -
Christian Benteke - Crystal Palace to DC United (undisclosed fee). AFP -
Maxwell Cornet - West Ham United to Burnley (£17.5m). PA -
Georginio Wijnaldum - PSG to Roma (loan). AFP -
Lucas Torreira - Arsenal to Galatasaray (£5m). AFP -
Marc Cucurella - Brighton to Chelsea (£55m). Getty Images -
Ademola Lookman - RB Leipzig to Atalanta (£12.6m). PA via AP -
Renato Sanches - Lille to Paris Saint-Germain (£12.6m). AFP -
Riqui Puig - Barcelona to LA Galaxy (free). AP Photo -
Alex Telles - Manchester United to Sevilla (loan). AFP -
Carney Chukwuemeka - Aston Villa to Chelsea (£20m). Reuters -
Kasper Schmeichel - Leicester City to Nice (£1m). AFP -
Mattia Viti - Empoli to Nice (£10.9m). AFP -
Gabriel Slonina - Chicago Fire to Chelsea (£8.3m). Reuters -
Bernd Leno - Arsenal to Fulham (£3m). AFP -
Charles De Ketelaere - Club Brugge to AC Milan (£26.8m). AFP -
Joe Rodon - Tottenham to Stade Rennais (loan). AFP -
Borja Mayoral - Real Madrid to Getafe (£8.4m). EPA -
Cesc Fabregas - Monaco to Como (free). EPA -
Alexis Beka Beaka - Lokomotiv Moscow to Nice (£11.7m). AFP -
Marcus Tavernier -Middlesbrough to Bournemouth (£10m). Getty Images -
Aaron Ramsey - Juventus to Nice (free). AFP -
Orel Mangala - Stuttgart to Nottingham Forest (£12.7m). AFP -
David Raum - Hoffenheim to RB Leipzig (£21.8m). Getty Images -
Oscar Mingueza - Barcelona to Celta Vigo (£2.5m). Getty Images -
Jules Kounde - Sevilla to Barcelona (£45m). AFP -
Dwight McNeil - Burnley to Everton (£20m). Getty Images -
Arnaud Kalimuendo - PSG to Rennes (£21m). Getty Images -
Filip Kostic - Eintracht Frankfurt to Juventus (£14.4m). EPA -
Salvatore Sirigu - Genoa to Napoli (free). Reuters -
Mikkel Damsgaard - Sampdoria to Brentford (£12.7m). EPA -
Malang Sarr - Chelsea to Monaco (loan). AFP -
Issa Diop - West Ham United to Fulham (£15m). Getty Images -
Alexis Sanchez - Internazionale to Marseille (free). Getty Images -
Timo Werner - Chelsea to RB Leipzig (£18m). AP -
Amadou Onana - Llle to Everton (£33.8m). AFP -
Emirhan Ilkhan - Besiktas to Torino (£3.8m). PA -
Gonçalo Guedes - Valencia to Wolves (£27.5m). AP Photo -
Conor Coady - Wolves to Everton (loan). Getty Images -
Anthony Modeste - Cologne to Borussia Dortmund (£3.8m). EPA -
Angeliño - RB Leipzig to Hoffenheim (loan). Getty Images -
Marcos Senesi - Feyenoord to Bournemouth (£12.6m). AFP -
Isco - Real Madrid to Sevilla (free). EPA -
Raheem Sterling - Manchester City to Chelsea (£50m). Getty Images -
Lisandro Martinez - Ajax to Manchester United (£46m). Getty Images -
Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich to Barcelona (£38.3m). AFP -
Hugo Ekitike - Reims to Paris Saint-Germain (loan). AFP -
Thomas Henry - Venezia to Verona (£3.8m). Getty Images -
Takefusa Kubo - Real Madrid to Real Sociedad (£5.2m). Getty Images -
Kalidou Koulibaly - Napoli to Chelsea (£33.8m). EPA -
Chancel Mbemba - Porto to Marseille (free). EPA -
Breel Embolo - Borussa Monchengladbach to Monaco (£10.6m). EPA -
Christian Eriksen - Brentford to Manchester United (free). PA -
Raphinha - Leeds United to Barcelona (£49m). Getty Images -
Federico Bernardeschi - Juventus to Toronto FC (free). Getty Images -
Andrea Cambiaso - Genoa to Juventus (£5.9m). Getty Images -
Arturo Vidal - Inter Milan to Flamengo (free). Getty Images -
Mohamed Bayo - Clermont to Lille (£11.8m). AFP -
Francisco Trincao - Barcelona to Sporting (loan). Getty Images -
Samu Castillejo - AC Milan to Valencia (undisclosed fee). PA -
Lewis Ferguson - Aberdeen to Bologna (£3m). PA -
Keane Lewis-Potter - Hull City to Brentford (£16m). PA -
Alessio Romagnoli - AC Milan to Lazio (free). Getty Images -
Nathan Collins - Burnley to Wolves (£20.5m). PA -
Andriy Yarmolenko - West Ham United to Al Ain (free). AP Photo -
David Ospina - Napoli to Al Nassr (free). Getty Images -
Kristian Thorstvedt - Genk to Sassuolo (£8.4m). Reuters -
Andreas Pereira -Manchester United to Fulham ( £10m). Getty Images -
Gabriel Jesus - Manchester City to Arsenal (£45m). Getty Images -
Steven Bergwijn - Tottenham Hotspur to Ajax (£26.5m). AP Photo -
Andreas Christensen - Chelsea to Barcelona (free). AFP -
Sébastien Haller - Ajax to Borussia Dortmund (£30.8m). AFP -
Flynn Downes - Swansea City to West Ham United (£12m). PA -
Junior Messias - Crotone to AC Milan (£3.8m). Reuters -
Luis Sinisterra - Feyenoord to Leeds United (£21.3m). AFP -
Brais Méndez - Celta Vigo to Real Sociedad (£12.8m). Getty Images -
Moussa Niakhaté - Mainz to Nottingham Forest (£8.7m). Getty Images -
Romeo Lavia - Manchester City to Southmpton (£12m). AP Photo -
Tyler Adams - RB Leipzig to Leeds United (£20m). AP -
Axel Witsel - Borussia Dortmund to Atletico Madrid (free). EPA -
Maya Yoshida - Sampdoria to Schalke (free). AP Photo -
Tyrell Malacia - Feyenoord to Manchester United (£12.9m). AP Photo -
Zeki Celik - Lille to Roma (£6m). AFP -
Ritsu Doan - PSV Eindhoven to Freiburg (£6.5m). AFP -
Divock Origi - Liverpool to AC Milan (free). AFP -
Rolando Mandragora - Torino to Fiorentina (£7m). EPA -
Joao Palhinha - Sporting to Fulham (£17m). Getty Images -
Franck Kessie - AC Milan to Barcelona (free). Getty Images -
Trezeguet - Aston Villa to Trabzonspor (£3.4m). AFP -
Kalvin Phillips - Leeds United to Manchester City (£45m). Reuters -
Giulian Biancone - Troyes to Nottingham Forest (£5m). AFP -
Giuliano Simeone - Atletico Madrid to Real Zaragoza (loan). EPA -
Raoul Bellanova - Cagliari to Inter Milan (loan). Getty Images -
Richarlison - Everton to Tottenham (£50 million). PA -
Fabio Carvalho - Fulham to Liverpool (£5 million). PA -
James Tarkowski Burnley to Everton (free). Getty Images -
Sime Vrsaljko - Atletico Madrid to Olympiakos (free). AP Photo -
Dean Henderson - Manchester United to Nottingham Forest (loan). PA -
Luuk de Jong - Sevilla to PSV Eindhoven (£3.4m). AP Photo -
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Roma to Inter Milan (free). Reuters -
Cenk Tosun - Everton to Besiktas (free). Reuters -
Andre Onana - Ajax to Inter Milan (free). Getty -
Moussa Sissoko - Watford to Nantes (£2m). AFP -
Corentin Tolisso - Bayern Munich to Lyon (free). AFP -
Vitinha - Porto to Paris Saint-Germain (£34m). AFP -
Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea to Inter Milan (loan). PA -
Lorenzo Insigne - Napoli to Toronto FC (free). AP -
Sven Botman - Lille to Newcastle United (£31.9m). AFP -
Takumi Minamino - Liverpool to Monaco (£15.5m). Getty Images -
Alphonse Areola - Paris Saint-Germain to West Ham United (£7.8m). AFP -
Lucas Leiva - Lazio to Gremo (free). Getty Images -
Joselu - Alaves to Espanyol (free). Getty Images -
Matt Turner - New England Revolution to Arsenal (£4.7m). Reuters -
Fernandinho - Manchester City to Athletico Paranaense (free). PA -
Bartol Franjic - Dinamo Zagreb to Wolfsburg (£6.9m). Getty Images -
Wahbi Khazri - Saint-Etienne to Montpellier (free). AFP -
Tobias Figueiredo - Hull City to Nottingham Forest (free). PA -
Pietro Pellegri - Monaco to Tornio (£3.9m). Getty Images -
Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City. Getty Images -
Malcolm Ebiowei - Derby County to Crystal Palace (undisclosed). PA -
Taiwo Awoniyi - Union Berlin to Nottingham Forest (£17m). Getty Images -
Gareth Bale - Real Madrid to Los Angeles FC (free). PA -
Lucas Alario - Bayer Leverkusen to Eintracht Frankfurt (£5.6m). PA -
Sadio Mane - Liverpool to Bayern Munich (£28m). Getty Images -
Armindo Sieb - Bayern Munich to Greuther Fürth (undisclosed fee). Getty Images -
Nick Pope - Burnley to Newcastle (£10m). PA -
Ki-Jana Hoever - Wolves to PSV Eindhoven (loan). PA -
Ryan Fredericks - West Ham United to Bournemouth (free). Getty Images -
Mario Götze - PSV Eindhoven to Eintracht Frankfurt (£3.4m). Getty Images -
Fabio Vieira - Porto to Arsenal (£30m). EPA -
Antonio Rudiger - Chelsea to Real Madrid (free). PA -
Merih Demiral - Juventus to Atalanta (£17.2m). AFP -
Giovanni Simeone - Cagliari to Hellas Verona (£10.3m). AP -
Marc Roca - Bayern Munich to Leeds United (£10m). PA -
Yves Bissouma - Brighton to Tottenham (£25m). PA -
Gavin Bazunu - Manchester City to Southampton (£12m). PA -
Darwin Nunez - Benfica to Liverpool (£64.3m). PA -
Aurelien Tchouameni - Monaco to Real Madrid (£85.3m). AFP -
Nemanja Matic - Manchester United to Roma (free). EPA -
Ryan Gravenberch - Ajax to Bayern Munich (£20m). EPA -
Giorgio Chiellini - Juventus to Los Angeles FC (released). Getty Images -
Cameron Carter-Vickers - Tottenham to Celtic (£6m). AFP -
Alexandre Lacazette - Arsenal to Lyon (free transfer). AFP
