ERIK TEN HAG HAS told Cristiano Ronaldo – “I warned you, now there are consequences”.
The tough-talking Manchester United boss has axed the club legend from the squad for tomorrow’s game against Chelsea after he refused to come on as a sub against Tottenham and left Old Trafford early.
It is the second time he has crossed the manager after he walked out of the ground before the end of a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano.
Ten Hag said: “After Vallecano, I told him it was unacceptable. This is the second time, there are consequences.
“I sent a warning at the start of the season, next time there have to be consequences otherwise when you are living together when you are playing together, football is a team sport and you have to fulfil certain standards. And I have to control it.
“I am the manager, I am responsible for top sport culture here and I have to set standards and values and I have to control them.
“In the team, we have values and standards and I have to control that.”
Ten Hag said Ronaldo, 37, would be a “miss” for tomorrow’s trip to Stamford Bridge.
He added: “We miss him tomorrow, it’s a miss for the squad but it’s important for the attitude and mentality of the group and now we have to focus on Chelsea as that is important.”
Ten Hag has told Ronaldo to train on his own while the rest of the team prepare for the trip to Stamford Bridge and is hoping his time away from his teammates will give him time to think.
He said: “It will have a time for reflection for him, but also for everyone else.”
The Sun columnist Piers Morgan responded on social media to Ten Hag’s revelation that Ronaldo refused to come on.
He wrote: “This the same Erik ten Hag who said he didn’t bring @Cristiano on for last few minutes of game vs City ‘out of respect’ for him’?”
Morgan yesterday branded Ten Hag as “pathetic” on Twitter for “delighting in humiliating” United icon Ronaldo.
SunSport exclusively revealed last night that Ten Hag wants Ronaldo out of the club for good.
He could have now played his last game as a Manchester United player.
Ronaldo was pictured this morning arriving at Carrington to train on his own with a fitness coach.
The forward has been fined £720,000 – two weeks wages – for defying the manager on Wednesday.
Ronaldo also no longer has any allies left in the United dressing room, as revealed by SunSport.
CR7 posted a lengthy statement on social media after his strop but did not include an apology.
