CRISTIANO RONALDO has broken his silence after refusing to come on and storming down the Manchester United tunnel before the final whistle against Tottenham.
The Old Trafford legend was slammed for leaving the bench before United’s 2-0 win over Spurs had even ended.
Manager Erik ten Hag today reacted by dropping Ronaldo for the club’s trip to Chelsea on Saturday.
And now the player has spoken out in a lengthy social media post – but failed to make an apology.
He said: “As I’ve always done throughout my career, I try to live and play respectfully towards my colleagues, my adversaries and my coaches.
“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.”
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Ronaldo added: “Right now, I just feel that I have to keep working hard in Carrington, support my teammates 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.”
Ronaldo, 37, was an unused sub as goals from midfield pair Fred and Bruno Fernandes saw off Spurs.
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But he later caused uproar by storming down the tunnel before his team-mates had even finished playing.
Ten Hag vowed to deal with the incident and sent out a message by dropping the forward for United’s next match.
A club statement read: “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 fixture.”
Ronaldo, who was replaced up front by Marcus Rashford, is now set to train on his own and could also face a hefty fine.
