AP Photo/Jon Super

Cristiano Ronaldo Out vs. Chelsea After Leaving Manchester United vs. Tottenham Early

Rob Goldberg

Cristiano Ronaldo will not play in Manchester United's upcoming game against Chelsea on Saturday after leaving before the final whistle in the last match, according to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic.

Whitwell added Ronaldo won't be allowed to even train with the first team during the week.

"Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s game against Chelsea," the club said in a statement. "The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture."

Ronaldo posted his response on Instagram:

The forward went into the locker room before the end of Wednesday's 2-0 win over Tottenham:

According to Whitwell, he had refused to come on as a substitute late in the match.

Manager Erik ten Hag said after the match the situation would be handled at a later time.

"I don't pay attention [to that] today; we will deal with that tomorrow," Ten Hag said Wednesday. "The focus today was on a magnificent performance from all the 11 players. ... We deal with that [Ronaldo] tomorrow. What we see today is 11 players who defend and 11 who attack."

Ronaldo had a similar incident with a freindly in August when he left the stadium early, which ten Hag called "unacceptable."

The 37-year-old had sought a transfer during the summer and will reportedly try to move again in January when the window reopens, per Rob Dawson of ESPN.

Ronaldo has appeared in eight of Manchester United's 10 league matches this season, but he's made just two starts and ranks 15th on the team with 345 total minutes. After scoring 18 Premier League goals a year ago, he has just one goal in 2022-23 with zero assists.

Manchester United have instead found success with new addition Antony in the attack alongside Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho. After a slow start, the squad sits fifth in the EPL table, one point behind Chelsea for a position in next year's Champions League.

   

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