Manchester United have taken action after Cristiano Ronaldo left the bench and walked away during their 2-0 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur last night.
The 37-year-old was one of the substitutes and had warmed up on the sidelines in preparation for being called up, but he stormed off to the tunnel with the match still in progress, with one minute left in regulation time.
The club are due to play Chelsea next at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but Ronaldo has been axed from the squad and will not be travelling with his teammates.
“Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea,” United said in a terse statement on their official website today.
“The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”
United reportedly still view the Portugal captain as an important part of the squad but regard this as a disciplinary matter.
English media outlets have also reported that Ronaldo actually refused to come on as a late substitute against Spurs before he left the bench and went briefly into the dressing room. He left the stadium shortly after.
United manager Erik ten Hag said afterwards that he would “deal with” the issue today.
Ronaldo had also showed his displeasure at being substituted during Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle at Old Trafford.
