Manchester United has made many drastic changes to the club since Erik ten Hag‘s arrival. Recently, they publicly announced that they have dropped Cristiano Ronaldo from the squad and will not play against Chelsea on Saturday. For context, the reason for that would be Ronaldo‘s antics at the Tottenham game a few days ago. Once again, Erik ten Hag placed him on the bench and went for Marcus Rashford up front as the striker.
Cristiano Ronaldo: “I just feel I have to keep working hard, support my teammates and be ready. This is Manchester United, and united we stand”. 🔴🇵🇹 #MUFC
Full statement here ⤵️📑 pic.twitter.com/6Mddt380CY
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 20, 2022
Rashford did a tremendous job even though he could not get on the scoresheet. The other standout performers were Bruno Fernandes, Fred, and Casemiro. However, despite all that, Ronaldo walked down the tunnel to go back to the dressing room before the final whistle. Due to this, United has decided to drop him.
He didn’t even apologise
— Kyle (@UTD__Kyle7) October 20, 2022
“Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea,” the statement read. Right after this was announced, Cristiano also released a statement on his social media handles.
View this post on Instagram
“As I’ve always done throughout my career, I try to live and play respectfully towards my colleagues, my adversaries, and my coaches,” the statement mentioned.
Cristiano Ronaldo has received mixed responses from fans with his statement
Many have reacted to Ronaldo’s words. One Twitter user said, “Cristiano Ronaldo being disrespected proves that loyalty doesn’t exist anymore in football. Can’t believe he really chose United over City.” The fan talks about Ronaldo choosing United over Manchester City in the summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo being disrespected proves that loyalty doesn’t exist anymore in football.
Can’t believe he really chose United over City— J. (@StonedBatxx) October 20, 2022
For those who do not know, Man City was the favorite to sign the star forward from Juventus. However, Man United entered the race at the last minute to convince him to return to Old Trafford. Another fan has also backed Ronaldo. They tweeted, “His only crime was coming back to help a dead team he once loved when teams like Manchester City were all over him. Sad to see him end like this. Disrespected GOAT.”
His only crime was coming back to help a dead team he once loved, when teams like Manchester City were all over him.
Sad to see him end like this. Disrespected GOAT. pic.twitter.com/toy98ogXou
— Oyinemi Nicholas End (@onenikend) October 20, 2022
While some of the fans have supported Ronaldo and have sympathized with him for this difficult part of his career, some have taken huge digs at him. A fan said, “He (Ronaldo) should try to know that Man Utd made him who he is today. No one is above the team. He must learn to respect and it shall be given back to him as due him.”
He (Ronaldo) should try to know that Man Utd made him who he is today. No one is above the team. He must learn to respect and it shall be given back to him as due him.
— Fuseini Malik (@FuseiniMalik10) October 20, 2022
Many believe that the Portuguese star thinks that he is bigger than the club. They claim that he should be prioritizing his team, rather than being unhappy that he’s not performing well. Although that may be difficult knowing Ronaldo’s mentality, his antics after the Tottenham game and the statement afterward did not go down well with fans.
Written by his PR team no doubt. Damage limitation.
— Nick Caville (@caville) October 20, 2022
Some of the fanbase claims that Cristiano Ronaldo did not even take the time to write the statement. A fan said, “Written by his PR team no doubt. Damage limitation.” Although it wouldn’t be surprising for Ronaldo to let his PR team write the statement, fans expect him to apologize on his own for what he did a few days ago. It would be interesting how the current situation plays out for Ronaldo and Manchester United.
