Following his outburst against Tottenham, Cristiano Ronaldo was left off the team for Saturday’s game against Chelsea, casting further doubt on his future at Manchester United.
On Wednesday, with a few minutes left in United’s 2-0 victory against Tottenham, Ronaldo charged down the Old Trafford tunnel.
The United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly received a message from the 37-year-old star stating that he did not want to be a late substitute.
Prior to the news of his sentence, Ronaldo was seen driving into United’s Carrington training facility as Ten Hag promised after the Tottenham game that he will “deal with” the situation on Thursday.
Ronaldo had already shown public displeasure at his position on Ten Hag’s team, and the United boss had finally had enough and wielded the axe.
“Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be playing for Manchester United against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday. The remainder of the team is entirely focused on getting ready for that match, according to a United statement on Thursday.
It is thought that the United hierarchy fully supports Ten Hag’s decision to cut Ronaldo from the team.
After the disciplinary matter, United’s top brass is reportedly considering their options for Ronaldo’s long-term future.
But it’s still unclear if the disgruntled Portuguese striker can find a way to turn things around..
Ronaldo’s big salary may put off potential buyers, therefore United would have to wait until the transfer window reopens on January 1 before they could trade him.
Ronaldo has been working behind the scenes to arrange a transfer away from Old Trafford ever since United missed out on the Champions League.
The former Real Madrid and Juventus star had intended to sign with a Champions League team, but he had trouble finding bids from the best clubs in Europe.
Ronaldo excused himself from United’s preseason tour of Australia and Asia due to “family matters” before expressing his annoyance once more during a friendly match against Rayo Vallecano.
Ronaldo, who was making his Ten Hag debut, was replaced at halftime and reacted by departing Old Trafford prior to the game’s conclusion.
When Ten Hag replaced Ronaldo in the draw against Newcastle last Saturday, Ronaldo also responded poorly.
Since coming from Ajax to take over in the offseason, Ten Hag has rarely trusted Ronaldo as his primary attacker.
With Real and United, Ronaldo won the Champions League five times. This season, he has started just two Premier League games, made six substitute appearances, and scored just one goal.
In the second-tier league he was so eager to avoid after United failed to finish in the top four of the Premier League last season, he has also made four starts and scored once.
Ronaldo has been a shell of the player that shone in his previous tenure at the club from 2003 to 2009 since returning to United from Juventus in 2021.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did lead United in scoring last season with 24 goals, but he never seemed at ease, sparring with both Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his former managers.
The deciding moment occurred when Ten Hag substituted Anthony Elanga and Christian Eriksen in place of Ronaldo against Tottenham in the 87th minute.
Ronaldo stormed off with two substitutes still left for United.
Ten Hag’s choice to bench him for the Chelsea game demonstrates how he felt about Ronaldo’s display of petulance and may have signaled the beginning of the end of his time at Old Trafford.