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Rob DawsonCorrespondent
Cristiano Ronaldo left Old Trafford before the final whistle as Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Wednesday, and he was not present when manager Erik ten Hag and the players returned to the dressing room, sources have told ESPN.
Ronaldo was seen leaving his seat on the bench and walking down the tunnel before the end of the match on Wednesday night.
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Sources have told ESPN the striker got changed and had already left the stadium before the full-time whistle.
Ten Hag said he would “deal with” Ronaldo on Thursday, saying that he preferred to talk about the performance of his team in the immediate aftermath of the game.
Ronaldo, 37, was named on the bench against Tottenham, and Ten Hag still had two available substitutions when Ronaldo decided to leave the pitch. He was seen leaving in the 90th minute, before four minutes of stoppage time had been played.
Ten Hag said afterwards: “I don’t pay attention [to that] today; we will deal with that tomorrow [Thursday].
“The focus today was on a magnificent performance from all the 11 players. I have to correct myself, not just 11 players, but the substitutes who came on — it was a squad performance.
“We deal with that [Ronaldo] tomorrow. What we see today is 11 players who defend and 11 who attack.”
Despite his controversial exit, Ronaldo did arrive to United’s Carrington training ground on Thursday at 10.30 a.m. BST.
It is the second time Ronaldo has angered Ten Hag with his behaviour. After being substituted at half-time during a preseason friendly against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford in July, Ronaldo was pictured leaving the stadium early along with teammate Diogo Dalot.
Ten Hag labelled their actions “unacceptable” and said players should always stay to watch the end of matches.
Ronaldo was also visibly unhappy at Ten Hag’s decision to substitute him off the pitch during the 0-0 draw with Newcastle on Sunday.
The Portugal forward is keen to leave the club, although sources have told ESPN that the only offer received in the summer was from a club from Saudi Arabia.