Man Utd drop Ronaldo for Chelsea clash

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of Manchester United’s squad for Saturday’s game at Chelsea.

The Portugal forward left Old Trafford before the end of Wednesday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Tottenham – for which he was an unused substitute.

“The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture,” a club statement said.

United say the 37-year-old remains an important part of the squad, but regard this as a disciplinary matter.

The game he will miss at Stamford Bridge is a big one, with United just one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Several media outlets are reporting he refused to come on as a late sub against Spurs.

Ronaldo left the bench and walked down the tunnel in the 89th minute, even though United had only made three of their permitted five substitutions. He briefly went into the dressing room before leaving the stadium.

Manager Erik ten Hag said afterwards that he would “deal with” the issue on Thursday.

Ronaldo had also showed his displeasure at being substituted during Sunday’s 0-0 home draw with Newcastle. (BBC Sport)