Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo has reacted to being dropped from the squad to play Chelsea on Saturday.
United’s manager, Erik ten Hag dropped the 37-year-old from the squad for refusing to go on as a late substitute and for leaving early in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham.
Although Ronaldo was named among the substitutes against Spurs, he publicly displayed his frustration with the manager’s failure to play him in the game by walking down the touchline and up the tunnel before the full-time whistle.
After the final whistle, ten Hag had promised to “deal with” the Ronaldo issue on Thursday.
A club statement released earlier today read, “Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”
The five-time Ballon D’Or winner is expected to train away from the first-team squad.
In a statement of his own published via social media, Ronaldo said he would keep working hard and support his teammates.
“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 get’s 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,” the statement read.