Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United's Carrington training ground on Thursday afternoon for showdown talks with Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo, 37, stormed down the tunnel at Old Trafford in the 89th minute of United's 2-0 Premier League win against Tottenham on Wednesday evening after not being used as a substitute. The veteran forward has been widely condemned for his actions.
Speaking after the game, Ten Hag promised he would "deal" with Ronaldo the following day after admitting he didn't speak to him before he walked down the tunnel. The Portuguese was spotted arriving at Carrington just after midday on Thursday for tense talks.
"He was there - I have seen him [walk down the tunnel], but I didn't speak with him," Ten Hag told Amazon Prime Video at full-time. He later added: "I don't pay attention to that [the incident] - I will deal with that tomorrow. I want to keep the focus on the team."
Ronaldo is struggling for form under Ten Hag this season, scoring just two goals in 12 games. He's started just three Premier League fixtures, none of which have resulted in victories for United. Some critics believe Ten Hag's side are better without him.
Gary Lineker is among those to criticise Ronaldo, describing his actions as "unacceptable" and "poor". Others have labelled them "disgraceful", "disrespectful" and "petulant". The United star is yet to break his silence following the incident.
Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo will still be a Manchester United player after the January transfer window? Let us know in the comments below!
Alan Shearer said: "I understand his frustrations of not being able to get on the pitch but when you look at the bigger picture, his team have put on a really good performance tonight.
"The manager had a big call to make in leaving him out and it turned out to be the right decision because they have done everything right. It’s a difficult situation because you are talking about the best player in the world and the best player we have ever seen so it makes things difficult for the manager.
"He is going to get asked about that now in the press conference when he should be asked about every one of his players on the pitch tonight because they have all been impressive."
Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, has defended Ronaldo. "If he doesn’t see Cristiano Ronaldo as a starter in his team more often than not, he has to release him from the contract, let him go" the United legend told his Vibe with Five podcast on Wednesday night.
"It’s not fair on anybody, on Cristiano, on Erik ten Hag, or the players, if after every game the first question is 'why didn’t Cristiano start' and that’s the story. Man Utd have won 2-0 today and one of the leading stories is about Ronaldo. That isn't right."
"You sit here and think, 'Why did Man Utd just not let him go then?' Especially if Ten Hag kind of knew he wasn't going to be his main player. That's the baffling part for me because you think what he's done in his career at his level."
