After his early departure, striker Cristiano Ronaldo has been removed from the Manchester United squad for next Saturday’s duel at Chelsea (6:30 p.m. / Sky). This gave the English top club in a statement on Thursday evening. “The rest of the team is fully focused on preparing for this game,” it said.
On Wednesday, the Portuguese left the stadium early in the 88th minute of United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester could have made several changes at this point. According to media reports, Ronaldo did not want to be substituted on late. “Sorry, but that’s unacceptable. It’s so pathetic,” said England football idol Gary Lineker after the Red Devils’ 2-0 win. The 61-year-old had previously praised the team for a “very, very good performance”. The fact that it worked without Ronaldo was of course not a good sign for them.
Under Dutch team manager Erik ten Hag, the 37-year-old has only played as a reserve this season. In the league, he was only in the starting XI on three out of twelve matchdays.