Romelu Lukaku was absent from the Manchester United squad to Oslo on Monday. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was also conspicuous by his absence.
The £75million striker was not part of the 26-man party that departed Manchester Airport for Tuesday’s night’s clash with Kristiansand.
United have rejected offers from Inter Milan this month for the striker. Whether Lukaku is still there to face Chelsea on Sunday, August 11 is in serious question.
However, there is nothing sinister in Solskjaer’s absence. The Norwegian already returned on Friday evening. Solskjaer returned to Carrington before a quick stop-over at his Cheshire home and less than 10 hours later he was departed to Oslo.
Instead, Solskjaer's assistant, Mike Phelan, led the group that arrived by coach on Monday.