Postecoglou refuses to comment on Ronaldo’s Portugal dispute ahead of Al-Nassr return

Ange Postecoglou says Cristiano Ronaldo is in good mental and physical condition after returning to Al-Nassr, but the Australian has declined to discuss the forward’s dispute with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus.

Ronaldo left Portugal’s camp in Denmark last week following a disagreement with Jesus over whether he should feature in the Nations League match against Norway in the competition’s second round.

Postecoglou was asked about the incident during his news conference before Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League fixture against Al-Diriyah on Friday. The match will be played at Al-Awwal Park as part of the eighth round of the competition.

“Ronaldo has returned in good condition and is ready mentally and physically, and that is the most important thing,” Postecoglou said, in comments reported by Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiya.

However, the former international manager made clear that he did not want to become involved in a dispute concerning a national team.

“Regarding the national team and the incident, I have been a national-team coach, and I used to hate it when club managers commented on events involving national teams,” he said.

“Ronaldo gave us his full effort and his morale is very high. I am now his manager at Al-Nassr, and he is an addition to our team. I do not like talking about what happened with his national team.”

Postecoglou also congratulated the Saudi Arabia national team after their victory in the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, known as Gulf 27.

“Congratulations to the Saudi national team, the players and the technical and administrative staff,” he said. “Winning this tournament is very important.”

The Australian was also pleased with the preparation Al-Nassr had completed during the international break. The extended period allowed the squad more time to work together, although the club had to manage without its international players.

“We had another two weeks to prepare. It was a longer period than usual, despite not having the international players,” Postecoglou said.

Al-Nassr, who won the previous edition of the Saudi Pro League, are third in the table with 16 points. They trail leaders Al-Hilal by two points and are one point behind second-placed Al-Ittihad.

The fixture against Al-Diriyah will provide Ronaldo and his team-mates with the opportunity to return to league action after the international break, while Postecoglou has sought to keep the focus on Al-Nassr’s preparations rather than the events surrounding Portugal.