Ronaldo DROPPED by Ten Hag after refusal to be Man Utd substitute
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 20 Oct 2022 18:17 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of Manchester United’s squad for their upcoming game against Chelsea after refusing to come on as a substitute during the 2-0 win over Tottenham.
Ronaldo has been a frustrated figure since asking to leave United in the summer and has started just two Premier League games so far this season.
The 37-year-old left Old Trafford prior to the final whistle against Spurs, with the assumption being that he was disappointed to be an unused sub after Erik ten Hag brought on Anthony Elanga and Christian Eriksen in the 87th minute.
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However, a report in the Daily Mail claims Ronaldo refused Ten Hag’s instructions to make a late cameo and instead left the stadium, a move which the United boss insisted he would ‘deal’ with.
And United released a statement on Thursday expressing that Ronaldo would not be part of the team’s squad for their next game against Chelsea after he was seen arriving at the club’s training ground for talks.
A statement from the club read: “Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”
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The decision is believed to be Ten Hag’s and Ronaldo is expected to be separated from the first-team and be made to train alone while the situation dies down.
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Ronaldo had asked to leave United in the summer and missed the majority of pre-season, prompting Ten Hag to relegate him to the bench, where he has spent the bulk of the current campaign during his side’s surge up the table.
The Portuguese legend’s struggles peaked when he wasn’t brought on during United’s humiliating derby loss to Manchester City, a move which Ten Hag claimed was out of respect for Ronaldo’s career.
Ten Hag has been reluctant to dramatically change a United side that have lost just one of their last eight league games, which has left Ronaldo on the sidelines.
Ronaldo remained at Old Trafford after the transfer window following a lack of interest from any Champions League clubs to sign him but the club are now even considering releasing him on a free to resolve the situation.
It was not the first time that Ronaldo had walked out early on his team, having made a similar move during United’s pre-season game over Rayo Vallecano, where he was subbed off at half-time.
Speaking after that game in the summer, Ten Hag said: “I certainly don’t condone this. This is unacceptable, for everyone. We are a team and you have to stay until the end.”
