Cristiano Ronaldo angrily stormed off Old Trafford early despite Manchester United beating Tottenham 2-0 last night.
The Portuguese forward was an unused substitute by Erik ten Hag, as goals from Bruno Fernandes and Fred condemned Antonio Conte’s side to a disappointing defeat away to the Red Devils.
Spurs huffed and puffed without getting very far and were largely ineffective against Ten Hag’s men, only having two shots on target all night, whilst Hugo Lloris was forced into several fine saves to deny Marcus Rashford.
But the result was overshadowed from a United point of view by Ronaldo after he decided to leave his spot on the bench and make his way down the tunnel before full-time.
Ten Hag revealed his plan of action for Ronaldo, saying, “He was there, I have seen him, but I didn’t speak with him.
“I will deal with that tomorrow [Thursday]. I want to keep the focus on the team. It was magnificent from all 11 players. I have to correct myself. It was also a performance by the substitutes who came on. Once again, it was a squad performance. I think what we have seen is 11 players who defend and 11 who attack. I was pleased.”
Ronaldo has become an isolated figure at Old Trafford after pushing for a move over the summer and has largely been playing second fiddle to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, only getting consistent minutes in the Europa League.
The 37-year-old has missed wins against Liverpool and Tottenham already this season and played no part in the United team that peppered Conte’s goal with 28 shots. The Athletic also report that Ronaldo didn’t just leave the field before full-time, he also left the ground and wasn’t noticed by his teammates as missing in the post-match celebrations.
Article updated 9 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
