Cristiano Ronaldo to miss Chelsea match: could Man Utd star be fined? What Erik ten Hag has said

Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo stormed off down the tunnel in the 89th minute of the match after Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, brought on Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga. United were playing Tottenham Hotspur at home and goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes ensured a necessary three points for the Red Devils.

Their win against Spurs came just a few days after United drew with Newcastle at home where Ronaldo was shown a yellow card for his cheeky attempt at a goal which was then disallowed. The referee Craig Pawson appeared to deem this time-wasting and the Portuguese star was booked.

It now appears as if Ronaldo’s frustrations have only worsened after he walked off down the tunnel when he realised he would not be used in the match against Spurs. Following the incident on Sunday, the Dutch manager said he had ‘no problem’ with Ronaldo’s negative reactions throughout the match.

Could Ronaldo be fined?

Ten Hag remained coy on whether Ronaldo would be fined but on the incident, he said: “I will deal with that tomorrow, not today. We are now celebrating this victory. I have seen him, but I haven’t spoken with him. I don’t pay attention today. I want to keep the focus on the team and a magnificent performance from all 11 players and the subs who came on. It was a squad performance.”

Will Ronaldo miss the next match?

It’s now been confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Manchester United’s Premier League trip to Chelsea.

Ten Hag has taken the lead on the decision to stand down his Portugal star, with full club backing.

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

What has been said about Ronaldo’s walk-off?

On Wedensday’s Match of the Day, the former England striker Gary Lineker said Ronaldo’s behaviour unnecessarily took attention away from his team’s performance against Spurs: “I’m sorry, that is unacceptable - it is so poor.”

Fellow pundits Ashley Williams and Micah Richards also agreed with Lineker’s opinion. The former England and Manchester City defender Richards said: “for one of the greats of the game to do that when your team are winning, making it about him, is disappointing.”

Williams, the ex-Wales captain, said: “It was a great night for Manchester United and here we are again talking about Cristiano Ronaldo - even though he didn’t play.”

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live saying Ronaldo would have been aware such behaviour would create ‘headlines’. Schmeichel said: “It’s the first time I can say that I am disappointed with him. Normally I back him, I understand his situation. We are in transition. Manchester United are now five managers down the road since Alex Ferguson. We have got Erik ten Hag in now who has very clear ideas about the way he wants to play football. We need understanding and time from everyone. We don’t need distractions like that, and that’s a disappointment I would say.”

Ronaldo at Manchester United

This season, Ronaldo has played just one full 90-minute Premier League match - Brentford’s 4-0 win over United in August. The Portuguese star has also been on the bench for the entirety of three matches now, including United’s 6-3 loss to rivals Manchester City.

In his 12 appearances, he has made five starts, scored two goals and secured one assist. Ronaldo’s first goal in the 2022/23 Premier League season came during United’s 2-1 win over Everton on 9 October.