Erik ten Hag has confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo refused to come on as a late substitute against Tottenham before the striker left early during Wednesday’s victory.
The Manchester United manager has dropped Ronaldo for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea, live on Sky Sports, as punishment, after he previously left early during a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano.
In his pre-match press conference, Ten Hag confirmed reports Ronaldo refused to come on and said: “What (happened in) the talk is between Cristiano and me. The (club) statement is also clear.
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Cristiano Ronaldo walked down the Old Trafford tunnel before the full-time whistle was blown in Manchester United’s win over Tottenham
“I am the manager, I’m responsible for the top sport culture here and I have to set standards and values, and I have to control them. We are in a team.
“After Rayo Vallecano I said it’s unacceptable but he wasn’t the only one. That is for everyone, when it’s the second time it will have consequence. That is now what we did. We’ll miss him tomorrow, it’s a miss for the squad but I think it’s important for the attitude, mentality for the group.”