Cristiano Ronaldo 'banished from first-team' after refusing to come on as a substitute

Cristiano Ronaldo has been "banished from the Manchester United first-team" and omitted from the squad for the upcoming trip to Chelsea after refusing to come on as a substitute against Spurs.

United won 2-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday night through goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes but the fine performance was overshadowed by Ronaldo's antics.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner stormed down the tunnel wearing his orange bib before the final whistle was blown.

Asked about Ronaldo on Amazon Prime Video's coverage, Erik ten Hag said he would "deal with it tomorrow".

It's since emerged that Ronaldo, having been dropped from the draw with Newcastle, refused to come on off the bench and then left the stadium completely as opposed to heading back to the dressing room.

And in response, United have come down hard on Ronaldo, who will not be part of the travelling squad for the next game and is expected to train alone.

“Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s game against Chelsea, "an official United statement said.

"The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”

Image: Alamy

The decision is solely down to Ten Hag, who has been backed by the club in this situation.

Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Spurs in the fixture last season but found himself behind Marcus Rashford in the pecking order this time around.

With Ronaldo not feeling a cameo, Scott McTominay, Anthony Elanga and Christian Eriksen were all brought on in the second half.

READ MORE: Ronaldo fans felt the Man United legend was 'disrespected' by Ten Hag

READ MORE: The astonishing figure Ronaldo is costing Man United per goal this season

It's a repeat offence for Ronaldo, who left Old Trafford before the final whistle of the pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano.

On that occasion, Ten Hag branded his conduct "unacceptable".

Image: Alamy

Ronaldo didn't have many suitors in the summer window after handing in a transfer request and reluctantly stayed put at United.

He scored his 700th career goal against Everton, one of two strikes for the Red Devils this term.

Former Man United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel says he was "disappointed" with Ronaldo's behaviour against Spurs.

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Premier League

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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