Cristiano Ronaldo was not waiting around to bask in a Manchester United victory he played no part in as the veteran striker stormed out of Old Trafford without even congratulating his teammates.
United were two goals to the good as the Premier League clash against Tottenham neared its conclusion, but unused substitute Ronaldo had seen enough when he petulantly made his way down the tunnel with two minutes plus stoppage time still left on the clock. It was the latest outburst from the wantaway 37-year-old, whose time at the club looks to be coming to an end.
Boss Erik ten Hag promised to "deal with that tomorrow not today" in his post-match interview, though it now appears that may have been out of necessity rather than a choice.
According to The Athletic, Ronaldo did not even see his teammates after the 2-0 victory, departing Old Trafford before they'd returned to the dressing room. Ten Hag would not have had opportunity to confront Ronaldo over his actions given he was already out of the building before the final whistle was blown.
Ronaldo had once again been overlooked in Ten Hag's starting lineup, with Marcus Rashford leading the line in attack, flanked by wingers Antony and Jadon Sancho in what proved to be arguably their best performance to date under the Dutch coach. Goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes early in the second half put United in a controlling position, so much so that Ronaldo's powers were not needed off the bench.
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Ten Hag had only made three changes, however, with the late double substitution that saw Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga enter the field on 87 minutes seemingly the last straw for Ronaldo, who stormed down the touchline and headed down the tunnel. Ronaldo made significant efforts to leave United in the summer due to his desire to play in the Champions League again this season, though failed to secure a move elsewhere.
United's new manager insisted Ronaldo had a role to play in his plans but he has been largely kept on the sidelines and has faced criticism already this season for some of his conduct. Ronaldo went straight down the tunnel without acknowledging the fans during the 4-0 defeat to Brentford, while Ten Hag did not even use him in the 6-3 hammering at rivals Manchester City, he claimed "out of respect".
Ronaldo finally got his first Premier League goal of the season with the winner against Everton earlier this month and was unfortunate his strike against Newcastle was disallowed. Ten Hag's decision to sub Ronaldo with almost 20 minutes still left to play and the scores goalless in that game attracted criticism, but the Dutchman had no qualms about benching the Portuguese icon against Spurs.
Rio Ferdinand suggested Ronaldo's omission was perhaps due to Ten Hag saving him for this weekend's clash against Chelsea, though it serves more as a damning reality check of where he fits in his manager's pecking order.
