Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of Manchester United’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League match against Chelsea as punishment for his behavior on Wednesday evening.
The 37-year-old walked down the tunnel after being an unused substitute in his team’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, and he also allegedly left the stadium before the final whistle was blown.
After defeating Antonio Conte’s side, Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag stated that he would ‘deal with the incident on Thursday.
The Dutchman has now made the decision to drop Ronaldo for this weekend’s game against Chelsea.
“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,” read a club statement.
According to The Athletic, Ronaldo has also been separated from the first-team squad in training and will be made to train alone for the next three days as a form of punishment.
The decision was allegedly made by Ten Hag, and the Dutchman had the full support of the Man United board despite the delicate situation surrounding Ronaldo’s future.
The Portugal international had been in the starting XI against Omonia and Newcastle United ahead of the Spurs clash, but Marcus Rashford was preferred through the middle for the game with the North London club.
Rashford could again keep his spot at the tip of the attack for the trip to Chelsea, while Ten Hag could have Anthony Martial back in his squad following injury.
Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford from Juventus in the summer of 2021, with the Red Devils bringing him back to the club amid strong interest from Manchester City.
The experienced forward scored 24 goals in all competitions last season, including 18 in the Premier League, but Man United finished in the sixth position in the table.
Ronaldo has found it difficult to show his best form for the club this term, netting just twice in 12 appearances, with his only Premier League goal of the campaign coming at Everton earlier this month.
Man United has another seven games before the campaign breaks for the 2022 World Cup, taking on Chelsea, Sheriff Tiraspol, West Ham United, Real Sociedad, Aston Villa twice, and Fulham.
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