MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will not be included in Erik ten Hag’s squad to face Chelsea this Saturday.
The Portuguese great was an unused substitute during United’s impressive 2-0 win over Tottenham on Wednesday night. Broadcast footage showed him exiting down the Old Trafford tunnel before full-time, with Ten Hag having made only three of the five permitted replacements in the Premier League fixture.
A short statement released by United on Thursday read:
Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.
When asked about Ronaldo’s early exit during his post-match interview on Wednesday night, Ten Hag responded: “I don’t pay attention to that, I will deal with that tomorrow. I want to keep the focus on the team.”
Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic has since reported that Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute and also left the ground early after walking down the tunnel.
Per that same Athletic report, Ronaldo will not be permitted to train with the first team this week, with the club having already officially confirmed that he will not be part of United’s squad for the weekend’s trip to Stamford Bridge.
Ronaldo later issued his own response via an Instagram post: “As I’ve always done throughout my career, I try to live and play respectfully towards my colleagues, my adversaries and my coaches. That hasn’t changed. I haven’t changed.
“I’m the same person and the same professional that I’ve been for the last 20 years playing elite football, and respect has always played a very important role in my decision making process.
“I started very young, the older and most experienced players examples were always very important to me.
“Therefore, later on, I’ve always tried to set the example myself for the youngsters that grew in all the teams that I’ve represented. Unfortunately that’s not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment gets the best of us.
“Right now, I just feel that I have to keep working hard in Carrington, support my teammates and be ready for everything in any given game.
“Giving in to the pressure is not an option. It never was. This is Manchester United, and united we must stand. Soon we’ll be together again.”
An earlier version of this article stated that Erik ten Hag had made five substitutions at the time of Ronaldo’s exit. Ten Hag had made only three substitutions at this time. Updated at 10.05pm to include Ronaldo Instagram post.
