All the talk should have been regarding Manchester United and their dominating performance against Tottenham Hotspur as they emerged 2-0 winners on Wednesday.
The focus should have been on the how well the team are performing as they look to be adapting to the way Erik ten Hag wants them to play.
There were numerous positive talking points, mos notably the displays put in by under-performing stars like Fred and Bruno Fernandes and how their manager has backed them despite their recent displays.
CR7 tarnishing his legacy
However, what emerged as the biggest headline news post match was the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo walked off towards the dressing room with the final whistle yet to be blown.
Erik ten Hag: “Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo refused to come on against Tottenham”. 🚨🔴 #MUFC
“There has to be consequences. It is important for the attitude and mentality of the group”. pic.twitter.com/pExifE8LKW
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 21, 2022
Later, The Athletic revealed that the Portuguese superstar had not only gone to the dressing room but in fact had left Old Trafford while his teammates were celebrating the win.
That was not the end of the story as next day, reports emerged which stated that the 37-year-old had refused to come on when asked to by the manager. This was later confirmed by the manager himself.
United went on to issue a statement condemning his actions and stated that Ronaldo would not be a part of the Chelsea matchday squad and would not even train with the first team.
Things are going from bad to worse for United’s No 7. The Peoples Person had reported that United were discussing an exit strategy and could be open to letting him go for free in January.
Players could turn on CR7?
And now according to Samuel Luckhurst of The Manchester Evening News, “a growing number of Manchester United players prefer playing without Cristiano Ronaldo as doubt mounts over his future.”
There exists a greater level of squad harmony this season than what was seen in previous years especially after the departure of certain stars and they do want to let this incident ruin the atmosphere inside the dressing room.
According to sources, there is no “imminent threat of the players turning against Ronaldo as he is immensely respected” but “Ronaldo suspects some teammates have attempted to undermine his standing in the dressing room.”
Past reports had indicated that certain players would have preferred the club to have sold the Portugal skipper and it appears that even the Dutch boss is now more open to the idea of allowing the former Real Madrid star to leave.
As of now, there are doubts whether Ronaldo will take to the field against Sheriff Tiraspol in the midweek Europa League clash. United are in quite the conundrum at the moment.
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