Cristiano Ronaldo arrives at Carrington for showdown talks with Erik ten Hag

Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to first-team training at Manchester United after burying the hatchet with manager Erik ten Hag.

Ronaldo took part in a session with his team-mates at Carrington on Tuesday morning and is now in contention to play against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

The Portugal star was axed from the squad for Saturday’s draw at Chelsea, made to train on his own and was also understood to have been fined as a punishment for refusing to come on as a substitute in last week’s win over Tottenham and then leaving Old Trafford before full-time.

Cristiano Ronaldo (centre) was back training with Manchester United’s first-team on Tuesday

Ronaldo had been banished from the first-team picture after his Old Trafford walkout last week

The 37-year-old is now in contention to play against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League

Ten Hag planned to bring the 37-year-old back into the fold but said he wanted to speak to Ronaldo first to be sure he has seen the error of his ways.

The two men are said to have been in constant dialogue since then, paving the way for Ronaldo to rejoin the first-team group. He was pictured driving into Carrington on Tuesday morning and again in the first-team training session.

Harry Maguire, Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka also returned to training, handing United another boost.

The squad were given two days off after the Chelsea game so this is the first time Ten Hag and Ronaldo have seen each other since the punishment was meted out.

Ten Hag claimed that he had no option but to take action after Ronaldo delivered two snubs last week by refusing to go on and then leaving Old Trafford early for the second time since the Dutchman took over.

Ronaldo pictured driving into Manchester United’s training ground on Tuesday

 Ronaldo and manager Erik ten Hag are holding their crisis clear-the-air talks on Tuesday

‘I think everyone understands that both are not acceptable, so I don’t want to grade it,’ said the United boss. 

‘Both are not acceptable and that is why he gets some days off.

‘It is a difficult decision, it’s clear. But there has to be consequences for bad behaviour and when it is the second time.

‘I think it will be a (time for) reflection for him, but also for everyone else. I sent a warning at the start of the season. After Rayo Vallecano, I told [him] it was unacceptable but he was not the only one.

‘So when it’s the second time, there will be consequences. That is now what we did.

‘You have to take this measure. I don’t like it because I prefer the squad with Cristiano on board.

Ronaldo refused to come on and left Old Trafford before full-time in the 2-0 win over Spurs

Ronaldo trained on his own following the incident against Tottenham on Wednesday 

‘We miss him tomorrow. It’s a miss for us but I think it’s important for the attitude and mentality of the group.

‘I am the manager. I am responsible for the top sport culture here. I have to set standards and values and I have to control them.

‘When I got appointed, I talked to the directors about the culture and standards, and that is why they appointed me.

‘They did some background and we had talks about how I lead, what my personality is and how I do it in a strategic way, and about my standards and leadership. That is what it is about.

 Sportsmail understands Ronaldo has clashed with Ten Hag on a daily basis during training

‘To set the highest standards, we have to live them. That is what we do at the moment. It is not something you can construct in a couple of weeks. It takes time.

‘Once again, the expectations of Manchester United are really high. The ambitions are high. Our fans, all of our stakeholders, expect results. So you have to act to certain standards and work every day on that.

‘For me, it is a strike,’ said Ten Hag. ‘Cristiano remains an important part of the squad and I count on him for the rest of the season.’