Even when Manchester United have played well without his seismic presence, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to dominate the headlines.
As the Red Devils produced a stellar performance to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Wednesday thanks to goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo made sure that most of the post-match chat was about him. Having spent 89 miserable minutes on the bench and refusing to come on as a late substitute, the 37-year-old striker stormed down the tunnel and left Old Trafford before his teammates had even got back in the dressing room after full-time.
Erik ten Hag promised to "deal" with the situation on Thursday - and he certainly has.
Here's a round-up of the latest news from Old Trafford.
Ten Hag shows who's boss
Erik ten Hag won't be made a fool at Old Trafford - that's if his punishment for Cristiano Ronaldo is anything to go by. The Dutchman made the superstar train alone on Thursday following his behaviour against Tottenham Hotspur, and Ronaldo won't be back with the first-team squad until after Saturday's trip to Chelsea after being temporarily dropped from the first-team squad.
While Mirror Football understands that the Red Devils slapped the Portugal captain with a fine in the region of £1million, Ten Hag has made his stance clear on anyone who steps out of line. A statement from United read: "Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday's game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture."
Ronaldo issues statement
Cristiano Ronaldo took his medicine and accepted his punishment, but hasn't gone down quietly. Following the news that he'd been made to train away from his Red Devils teammates, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner took to social media to explain his actions - but not apologise.
"I started very young, the older and most experienced players examples were always very important to me," Ronaldo wrote on Thursday evening. "Therefore, later on, I've always tried to set the example myself for the youngsters that grew in all the teams that I've represented. Unfortunately that's not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment get’s the best of us."
Have your say! Should Man Utd get rid of Ronaldo in January? Give us your verdict in the comments section.
Martinez's comments speak volumes
Amid a storm of Cristiano Ronaldo's own creation, it's intriguing to see what his teammates make of it all. If Lisandro Martinez 's comments are anything to go by, then not even something as shocking as his behaviour on Wednesday can bring down morale in the United dressing room.
Speaking after the impressive victory over Tottenham, Martinez said: "I didn't see anything. I don't know. I only enjoy with the people, we won, and that's important."
