It looks like Cristiano Ronaldo is definitely heading towards the exit from Manchester United.
Manchester United faced Tottenham Hotspur in a crucial match on October 19th. Thanks to goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes, the red half of Manchester won the match 2-0. It was a pleasing result for the fans not only because of the 3 points, but United also played a brand of soccer which has not been seen at Old Trafford for over a decade now. They dominated the possession and made a very good Tottenham team look average.
Cristiano Ronaldo down the tunnel before the final whistle at Old Trafford 😬 pic.twitter.com/MvWBHGsbig
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) October 19, 2022
But just when the fans thought the club was heading towards the right direction under Erik Ten Hag, drama ensues. In the 87th minute of the match, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo stormed out of the field and headed down the tunnel. It was later reported that Ronaldo exited the stadium too before the final whistle was blown.
It obviously infuriated the manager who promised to deal with the situation, the day after. It appears to be the case, as an official club statement confirms that Ronaldo will not be a part of the squad for the upcoming Chelsea match. But the statement was a brief one and it did not give away what really happened behind the scenes.
Cristiano Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham
Following his public display of disdain towards the coach, fans wondered what made Cristiano Ronaldo take the decision. A report from The Daily Mail has provided some interesting information about Ronaldo’s actions. He did not get a place in the starting line-up for the game against Tottenham. It obviously angered the 37-year-old who scored a hat-trick in the fixture last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo REFUSED to come on as a substitute in #mufc‘s win over Spurs before leaving Old Trafford early. [@ChrisWheelerDM]
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) October 20, 2022
As per the report, Ronaldo was asked to get ready as Ten Hag was planning on using him as a substitute. But Cristiano refused to obey the instructions and left the stadium altogether. There was a lot of speculation about whether Ronaldo would even show up for the training session or not. However, the club legend came to Carrington and faced the consequences for his actions.
Cristiano Ronaldo went to the tunnel before the game ended against Tottenham 😬
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 19, 2022
(via @TelemundoSports)pic.twitter.com/nYwKlpKiSd
Apparently, Ronaldo will not only be left out of the matchday squad for the Chelsea game, but he also will not be allowed to train with the first team for three days. The report also suggests that the relationship between Ronaldo and Ten Hag has reached breaking point and the former is trying to force a move out of the English club.
Fans react to Ronaldo getting dropped for the Chelsea game
Cristiano Ronaldo recently completed his 700 club goals just over a week ago. He is a 5-time Champions League winner and a 5-time Ballon d’Or winner. For most of his career, Ronaldo was the first name to be put on the team sheet.
However, he has found himself on the bench more often than not in the 2022-23 season. He only started in 2 Premier League games for Man United in the season. But, Ronaldo was United’s highest scorer last season with 24 goals across all competitions.
So it is hard for him to accept a place on the bench for a team, which does not have a recognized centre forward. However, the way he stormed out of the stadium was incredibly disrespectful to the club and fans were furious with it. Hence, the fans are siding with Erik Ten Hag after Ronaldo’s banishment.
Here are some Twitter reactions to the news
What people don’t know is that ten hag defended him in the press.
— ✞𝓓ꫀꪶᡶꪖ𝓑ꪮꪗ𝓡ꫀꪖꪶᡶꪮꪹ𓃵 (@Pascalokolo4) October 20, 2022
Out of respect for a legend of the game who was begging other clubs for a move but no one wanted him.
At no point did ETH out him!
I think we know where the disrespect is
Ten Hag is not Messing around. This is a good message to send.
— . (@_TenHagSzn__) October 20, 2022
Bro is onto something pic.twitter.com/HXV87313oV
— lina (@luxlina_) October 20, 2022
Finally United is acting like the massive club that it is! No player/legend is bigger than the club. Sir Alex kept the ship straight by cutting off all the big divas
— vasilis koukoulis (@vkouk7) October 20, 2022
What do you make of the entire saga with Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United? Let us know in the comments down below.