Cristiano Ronaldo has been banished from taking part in Manchester United’s trip to Chelsea on Saturday, after he refused to come on as a substitute in Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham on Wednesday night, October 19.
The Portugal legend damaged his relationship with manager Erik ten Hag by storming down the tunnel and leaving Old Trafford before full-time in reaction to being left on the bench as an unused substitute for the second time this season after United sent on Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga in the 87th minute.
Fans initially thought Ronaldo walked out after he noticed he wasn’t going to play in the match but it has now emerged that the 37-year-old was told to enter the field by Ten Hag but refused his manager’s instructions before heading for the exit.
Ten Hag said afterwards that he would ‘deal’ with the situation on Thursday, and a sullen Ronaldo was seen driving into Carrington for talks with the club’s management.
The relationship between the pair is now at breaking point, with Ronaldo desperate to leave and Ten Hag happy to let him go, according to reports by UK’s SportsMail.
The decision to punish Ronaldo was made by Ten Hag and has the full backing of the United hierarchy.
The club also didn’t say if the player has also been hit with a financial penalty. A maximum fine of two weeks’ wages would cost Ronaldo £1million.
United issued a statement on Thursday confirming that Ronaldo has been axed from the squad for Saturday’s game at Chelsea.
It 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.’