Cristiano Ronaldo has issued a statement in response to being dropped from Manchester United's first-team squad after he walked out of Old Trafford early during the Red Devils' win over Tottenham Hotspurs.
Ten Hag To 'Deal' With Ronaldo After Early Old Trafford Exit
On Thursday evening, the English giants released a statement in which they stated that the 37-year-old had been left out of their squad to take on Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend.
This came after Ronaldo was seen leaving the sidelines prior to the final whistle being blown in their 2-0 victory over Spurs on Wednesday night, with reports suggesting he had refused to come on as a substitute before heading for the tunnel.
The decision to exclude the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was made by head coach Erik ten Hag, who, following United's win, said he would be dealing with Ronaldo's behaviour on Thursday.
Hours after the Red Devils' statement, the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus talisman issued one of his own on Instagram, admitting that the situation got the best of him.
"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," he wrote, according to the Evening Standard.
"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.
"I started very young, the older and the most experienced players examples were always very important to me. Therefore, later on, I've always tried to set the example myself for the youngsters in all the teams that I've represented. Unfortunately that is not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment gets the best of us.
"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 will reportedly train separately from his teammates for the next three days, as decided by Ten Hag, who has claimed six wins out of 10 league games since the start of the campaign.
The Portuguese forward's frustration was seemingly a reaction to being benched for the sixth time in the eight Premier League matches he has been available for.
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