Manchester United have dropped Cristiano Ronaldo from the squad to face Chelsea this weekend after he refused to come off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Portuguese attacker made matters worse by storming off the pitch before the game finished. His actions overshadowed a brilliant win for Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo told ten Hag that he did not want to come on as a late substitute. The former Ajax boss said he would deal with the situation after the game.
A statement from Man Utd’s website read: “Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”
The 37-year-old’s petulance is nothing new for Man Utd. All summer, Ronaldo pushed to leave the club after they failed to qualify for the Champions League.
However, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Napoli and AC Milan rejected the chance to sign him.
Only a Saudi club made an audacious offer for Ronaldo, so he had nowhere to go in Europe.
Ten Hag does not trust Ronaldo after his antics and has used him as a substitute for most of the season. He has started only two games from his eight appearances and has scored just one goal.
Ronaldo has played regularly in the Europa League. He started all four games in the competition with one goal and missed three big chances.
He will train away from the first-team squad at United’s Carrington training ground.
United are considering a January sale for Ronaldo if Jorge Mendes can find him a new club. They could also consider terminating his contract and letting him walk for free.
