Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo refused to come on as a late substitute for Manchester United against Tottenham and will be punished
Portuguese stormed off against Spurs
Not happy being on the bench
Has been dropped for trip to Chelsea
WHAT HAPPENED? The Portuguese superstar found himself back on the bench for a Premier League meeting with Spurs and headed off down the tunnel before a 2-0 victory for the Red Devils had been confirmed. United have since stated that Ronaldo will play no part in their trip to Chelsea on Saturday, as he is forced to train with the club’s Under-21 side, with Ten Hag eager to get his message across to a player that also left Old Trafford early back in July after being replaced during a friendly with Rayo Vallecano.
WHAT THEY SAID: After confirming that Ronaldo had snubbed his request to enter the fray against Spurs, Ten Hag added on his future plans for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner: “He remains an important player in the squad. I am the manager, I am responsible for the culture here and I have to set standards and values and I have to control them. In the team, we have values and standards and I have to control that. After Vallecano, I told him it was unacceptable but not him everyone, this is the second time, there are consequences. We miss him tomorrow. It’s a miss for the squad but it’s important for the attitude and mentality of the group and now we have to focus on Chelsea as that is important.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ten Hag went on to say of making the all-time great work away from the rest of the senior squad: “It will have a (time for) reflection for him, but also for everyone else. I said at the start of the season, next time there have to be consequences otherwise when you are living together and playing together, football is a team sport and you have to fulfill certain standards. And I have to control it.”
