Cristiano Ronaldo will be omitted from the Manchester United squad to face Chelsea on Saturday following his early walkout during Wednesday’s win over Tottenham.
The veteran forward, an unused substitute, walked down the tunnel before the final whistle at Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag‘s side downed Spurs in a 2-0 win.
Ten Hag said after the game that he would “deal with” Ronaldo’s behaviour on Thursday, and the Dutchman has followed through on that by sanctioning the 37-year-old.
The Portugal captain will play no part in his side’s next fixture away to Graham Potter’s Blues.
“Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea,” read an official club statement.
“The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”
It is the latest indicator of Ronaldo’s discontent at Old Trafford, with a much-trumpeted homecoming last season having turned sour following a disappointing 2021-22 club campaign.
Ronaldo was United’s top scorer last term with 24 goals across all competitions, but the Red Devils could only finish sixth in the Premier League.
That led to speculation suggesting Ronaldo wanted to leave the club, a narrative that ultimately became a distracting sideshow through Ten Hag’s first pre-season in charge.
Ronaldo did not join United on their pre-season tour of Australia and Thailand.
When he did eventually feature in a friendly against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford, Ronaldo found himself at the centre of controversy as he left the stadium early after being withdrawn at half-time.
Ten Hag defended Ronaldo on that occasion, saying it was “not right” for the striker to attract all the criticism when there were several players who left early.
However, Thursday’s action shows Ten Hag is willing to come down hard on the Portuguese superstar, and the situation will further cloud Ronaldo’s future at the club.
The arrival of Ten Hag has seen Ronaldo slip down the pecking order, with just two Premier League starts and one goal this season across eight top-flight appearances.
United travel to Stamford Bridge sitting just one point behind their hosts in fourth.
Source: Livescore