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Tom Coley

When Erik ten Hag will deal with Cristiano Ronaldo after what Man Utd ace did vs Tottenham

Cristiano Ronaldo left Old Trafford early despite his side beating Tottenham 2-0 last night.

The Portuguese forward was an unused substitute by Erik ten Hag, as goals from Bruno Fernandes and Fred condemned Antonio Conte's side to a disappointing defeat away to Manchester United.

Spurs huffed and puffed without getting very far and were largely ineffective against Ten Hag's men, only having two shots on target all night, whilst Hugo Lloris was forced into several fine saves to deny Marcus Rashford.

But the result was overshadowed from a United point of view by Ronaldo after he decided to leave his spot on the bench and make his may down the tunnel before full-time.

READ MORE:Every word Antonio Conte said about Spurs fear, needing more from the club and making late subs

Ten Hag revealed his plan of action for Ronaldo, saying, "He was there, I have seen him, but I didn't speak with him.

"I will deal with that tomorrow [Thursday]. I want to keep the focus on the team. It was magnificent from all 11 players. I have to correct myself. It was also a performance from the substitutes who came on. Once again, it was a squad performance. I think what we have seen is 11 players who defend and 11 who attack. I was pleased."

Ronaldo has become an isolated figure at Old Trafford after pushing for a move over the summer and has largely been playing second fiddle to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, only getting consistent minutes in the Europa League.

The 37-year-old has missed wins against Liverpool and Tottenham already this season and played no part in the United team that peppered Conte's goal with 28 shots. The Athletic also report that Ronaldo didn't just leave the field before full-time, he also left the ground and wasn't noticed by his teammates as missing in the post-match celebrations.

This comes as an angry Conte admitted how far below par his team were on the night. "We can improve, we need to continue to work, and for sure, it is right with the club also to analyse very well why when we are going to play this type of game where the level is very high, we are struggling," he said.

"I repeat, we can work a lot on the pitch, but we need to continue to work in many aspects."

Conte brought on three defenders despite being 2-0 down and even Lucas Moura - the most attacking change made - couldn't make much of an impact.

READ NEXT:

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Antonio Conte's telling post-match comment as he discovers Tottenham truth for the third time

Why Conte was fuming at Bentancur, Lloris let down - 5 things spotted in Man United vs Tottenham

Tottenham player ratings: Hugo Lloris superb but Romero, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Kane and Son poor

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