Ronaldo breaks silence on Man United vs Chelsea snub amid Erik ten Hag decision
Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to social media to respond after he was dropped from the Manchester United squad for the Chelsea game at the weekend.
The Portuguese was sanctioned after he headed down the tunnel before the end of his side’s match with Tottenham on Wednesday. Reports would later emerge that he had refused to come on when asked, and that he has a fractious relationship with some of manager Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff.
However, the 37-year-old has taken to social media, posting a passionate response, saying that he tries to treat colleagues, adversaries and coaches respectfully, but he did add that “the heat of the moment gets the best of us.”
The forward did not specifically reference the club’s decision to banish him from the first-team squad for the weekend match.
“As I’ve always done throughout my career, I try to live and play respectfully towards my colleagues, my adversaries and my coaches,” wrote Ronaldo.
“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 gets the best of us.
“Right now, I just feel that I have to keep working hard in Carrington, support my team-mates 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.”
In the immediate aftermath of the Tottenham match, Ten Hag indicated that he was not happy with Ronaldo’s conduct and has now acted.
Asked whether Ronaldo had told him he was leaving the pitch early, Ten Hag revealed what happened to Amazon Prime Video Sport.
“He was there, I have seen him, yea, but I did not speak to him after,” began Ten Hag.
Pressed by host Gabby Logan whether that is something he would normally not want to happen, Ten Hag added: “I will deal with that tomorrow. Not today. We are celebrating this victory and now we must recover.”
United would release a statement on Thursday saying the following: “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.”