No way back for Ronaldo: Star storms off field during Tottenham win
FT Desk
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo's turbulent relationship with Manchester United may have been stretched to breaking point after the striker made a shocking early departure from Wednesday's clash with Tottenham.
Ronaldo started United's last two games against Ommonia Nicosia and Newcastle United but failed to find the net in either clash.
And with Marcus Rashford available again after a bout of illness at the weekend, manager Erik ten Hag showed no hesitation in returning the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus star to the Red Devils bench.
Cristiano's absence was not felt by the hosts at Old Trafford as they downed Spurs 2-0 in one of the most accomplished performances of the Ten Hag era to date.
After a frustrating goalless first half Fred put the Red Devils ahead just after the break before Bruno Fernandes doubled the advantage with 69 minutes played.
But as usual, Ronaldo found a way to steal the headlines.
Ronaldo walks out on United
The forward was asked to warm up by Ten Hag but ultimately played no part in the game, with Anthony Elanga and Christian Eriksen preferred by the boss in a late double switch to see out the final minutes.
And in the dying minutes television footage showed the 37-year-old walking off alone down the tunnel instead of waiting out full time with the rest of his colleagues.
The incident was reminiscent of Ronaldo's early exit during a pre-season clash after missing almost all of his team's summer preparations, a walkout that did not impress Ten Hag.
He also reacted furiously to being substituted against Newcastle at the weekend, though Ten Hag insisted that he had "no problem" with Cristiano airing his frustrations at coming off.
Speaking after the game, the manager seemed to indicate that his striker did not have permission to leave ahead of time on Wednesday.
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"He was there, I have seen him but I didn't speak," he told Amazon Prime.
"I will deal with that tomorrow not today. We're celebrating this victory and now we have to recover and another big game on Saturday, Chelsea. The Premier League, so exciting."
Ronaldo has managed just two goals in 12 appearances for United this season, having tried without success to find another club which would deliver him Champions League football over the summer.
The star's performances show no sign of improving and his off-field antics are casting a cloud over what has otherwise been an encouraging start to the season under Ten Hag, and the club must consider removing what has become a disruptive presence from its squad if he continues to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
