Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to find himself at the centre of yet another controversy during his return stint at the club, after defying the orders of the manager.
The Portuguese was asked to come off the bench in United’s most recent Premier League encounter against Tottenham Hostpur, which he refused to do. Following this, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was seen walking off the pitch before the final whistle and is also believed to have left Old Trafford immediately in a fit of fury.
Ronaldo was apparently livid at being asked to remain on the bench in favour of Marcus Rashford, whom manager Erik ten Hag chose to lead the United forward line. Cristiano has fallen out of favour this season, mostly starting on the bench, except for a couple of games in the Europa League, and recently in the Premier League against Newcastle United. Ronaldo is believed to be outraged by the manager’s decisions, and therefore decided to leave the ground early.
This is not the first time this season that Ronaldo has made the headlines for unfavourable reasons, after a massive transfer saga that transpired over the summer transfer window.
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The actions of the iconic striker were not taken kindly by ten Hag, who has since publicly acknowledged the incident, making it clear that such episodes will not be tolerated. Ronaldo has also been banished from the squad for the Chelsea game, and was reportedly asked to train with the Under-21s.
“I set a warning at the start of the season and the next time it has to be consequence. When you are living together, playing together, football is a team sport and you have to fulfil certain standards and I have to control it,”
ten Hag said in the presser ahead of United’s game against Chelsea.
