Ruud van Nistelrooy returned to training with Manchester United this morning - but doubt still remains over whether the Dutchman will still be at Old Trafford for the start of the season.
After his massive bust-up with Sir Alex Ferguson prior to the final game of the last campaign against Charlton, after which Van Nistelrooy was banned from playing in Roy Keane's testimonial, it was widely assumed the 30-year-old would have moved on by now.
Instead, after insisting he wanted no discussion over his future until after the World Cup, Van Nistelrooy's hopes of an immediate move have been scuppered, with neither Real Madrid nor Bayern Mu
Van Nistelrooy has indicated to both clubs he would be willing to join them, with Bayern yesterday revealing they had already started talks with the striker.
However, mindful of the £29m that Chelsea paid AC Milan for Andriy Shevchenko, the Red Devils do not see why they should be railroaded into a deal.
Last week, Ferguson claimed he would have "no problem" if Van Nistelrooy was still around when United open their latest assault on the Premiership title against Fulham on August 20, even though the former PSV Eindhoven man has handed in a written transfer request.
It was the same diplomatic card Van Nistelrooy played following
However, given the breakdown in relations between player and club, it would have been no surprise if Van Nistelrooy - one of only eight players to score 150 goals for United - had backed out of this morning's session.