Premier League legend Alan Shearer has claimed that Manchester United "shouldn't have signed" Cristiano Ronaldo last year as the 37-year-old faces Old Trafford exile.
Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag has been left with little choice but to publicly punish the five-time Ballon d'Or winner after Ronaldo refused to come on during Wednesday night's 2-0 win over Tottenham.
Despite the dominant display from United, all the post-match discourse was focussed on the forward's decision to storm down the tunnel before the full-time whistle had been blown. Ten Hag addressed the situation with reporters during his pre-match presser ahead of the trip to Chelsea Ronaldo has been banned from playing a part in.
"What the talk - if you ask about that - is between Cristiano and me," Ten Hag said. "The statement is also clear, I think. He remains an important player in the squad.
"I am the manager, I am responsible for the 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."
In his column for The Athletic, Shearer has completely backed the way Ten Hag has dealt with the fall-out of the situation Ronaldo has embroiled his club in.
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"In a team game, where the basic principle is that you’re all in it together win or lose, such a display of selfishness and petulance is desperately unprofessional and it’s right that Ronaldo should be disciplined by Manchester United because of it," the Newcastle icon added.
"His was a terrible example to set and it’s a shame that instead of reflecting on their best performance of the season against Tottenham Hotspur, Ten Hag has been forced to talk about someone who only figured on the periphery."
Shearer went on to make a particularly bold claim, stating how United were wrong to ever oversee Ronaldo's return in the first place.
"The truth is that Manchester United shouldn’t have signed Ronaldo in the first place. It always looked like a reactive move, an attempt to ensure that an iconic player from their past didn’t end up at City, their great rivals."
After a shaky start to the campaign, Ten Hag has overseen a stellar turnaround in both performance and results with United now just one point outside of the Champions League qualification places.
Everyone associated with the Red Devils will be all too aware that victory away at Chelsea on Saturday will see United leapfrog the Blues into fourth and start breathing down the necks of Antonio Conte's Tottenham.
