‘It’s UNACCEPTABLE’: Gary Lineker and Micah Richards blast Cristiano Ronaldo after the Man United star stormed in front of the full-time goal from Old Trafford in his side’s 2-0 win over Spurs after being sacked by Erik ten Hag on the bench had been left
- Ronaldo sparked an angry reaction with his behavior in the Spurs win
- United boss Erik ten Hag has vowed to deal with the 37-year-old star
- Ronaldo wanted to leave the club in the summer but didn’t secure an exit
- He has cut a frustrated figure under Ten Hag on several occasions this season
Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have slammed Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese star stormed away from Manchester United’s win over Tottenham at Old Trafford ahead of full-time.
Ronaldo reacted to being left on the bench as an unused substitute by disappearing down the tunnel in the 89th minute and Sportsmail understand he may have even left the stadium before the game was over.
United boss Erik ten Hag is expected to take action over the 37-year-old’s latest strop.
And Ronaldo was heavily criticized by Lineker and Richards in the match of the day after the incident.
Cristiano Ronaldo stormed down the tunnel after being an unused substitute against Tottenham
He was left out of the United starting XI in the 2-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford
“We all know what a great player he was, but to walk off as a substitute with two minutes left… I’m sorry, that’s unacceptable. That’s poor,’ said Lineker.
Richard agreed. “It’s so poor,” he said. “For someone we’ve looked up to for so long, one of the game’s greats.
“To do that, when your team wins, it’s all about him. This is unacceptable.”
In his press conference after the 2-0 win over Spurs, Ten Hag said: “I saw him but I didn’t speak to him. I’ll take care of it tomorrow, not today. We celebrate this victory.
Ronaldo has regularly expressed his frustration with missing minutes at the club
“I’m not paying attention today. I’ll deal with that tomorrow. I want to keep my focus on the team and a great performance from all eleven players and the substitutes. It was a team effort.’
It’s the second time Ronaldo has left a United game without permission under Ten Hag. In July, the 37-year-old left Old Trafford at half-time after coming on as a substitute against Rayo Vallecano in a pre-season friendly.
Ten Hag called the incident “unacceptable” but pointed out Ronaldo wasn’t the only United player to leave early.
The 37-year-old was also visibly frustrated when he came on as a substitute against Newcastle
The behavior of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was a problem for both Ten Hag and his predecessor Ralf Rangnick.
On Sunday, Ronaldo drew more negative publicity when he was seen shaking his head and grumbling when he was substituted off with 20 minutes left in United’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle.
Ahead of that game, Ten Hag said he had no problem with Ronaldo’s reaction as long as it was “in a calm, normal way”.
But the Dutchman will be furious that Ronaldo’s latest pout overshadowed United’s best performance under him, with goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes giving United a well-deserved win over Antonio Conte’s side.
United boss Erik ten Hag has vowed to “deal with the issue” on Thursday following Ronaldo’s actions.
Ronaldo has cut a frustrated figure on several occasions this season after telling the club he wanted to leave him in the summer.
The Portuguese striker had hoped to secure a move to a team playing in the Champions League.
Alan Shearer, who was a commentator for Amazon Prime Video during the game, said: “I understand his frustration but when you look at the bigger picture his team put in a really good performance.
“The manager had a big decision and it turned out to be right. You may be talking about the best player we’ve ever seen, but that makes it difficult for the manager.
“He gets asked about it but he should be talking about the players on the pitch tonight.”
