Cristiano Ronaldo reacts decisively for being benched

• Cristiano Ronaldo has sparked a debate following his exit at Old Trafford Wednesday
• He was benched as Manchester United battled against Tottenham Hotspur
• In the 90th minute (with four minutes of added time), a visibly agitated Ronaldo walked down the tunnel

Cristiano Ronaldo has sparked a debate following his exit at Old Trafford Wednesday evening as his teammates played Tottenham again.

When Spurs visited Old Trafford, United trounced them, and the Portuguese forward made a miserable sight sitting on the bench. He isn’t used to being a substitute, and it may have caused the veteran forward to act in this way.

In the 90th minute (with four minutes of added time), a visibly agitated Ronaldo walked down the tunnel, leaving spectators and analysts perplexed by his actions.

According to reports, he fled the stadium after exiting the tunnel rather than waiting for the squad in the locker room.

This season, Erik ten Hag has mainly used the Manchester United front as a substitute, which has frequently infuriated the forward. He was replaced in the 72nd minute against Newcastle United only last week. Ronaldo shook his head in disapproval and stomped off the field in frustration.

Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo by talkSport

Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, responded to a query about the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s actions during the match against Spurs. He brushed it off saying he did not focus on him and would deal with it later.

“I don’t pay attention today, we deal with that tomorrow. I want to focus on this team, it was a magnificent performance from all 11 players. I have to correct myself, it was a performance on the subs who came on. A squad performance,” the Athletic reports.

In the preseason, Ronaldo committed a similar act by leaving the stadium in his car after being replaced at the break. After 45 minutes of the preseason game, he was benched.

While his team was still in play, he was captured on camera exiting the stadium. Ten Hag said he couldn’t condone this, adding that he should have waited to the end before leaving.

Over the course of 12 games this season, Ronaldo has two goals and one assist. A fortnight ago, Ten Hag gave his two cents on Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance in Thursday’s Europa League match against Omonia Nicosia of Cyprus.

Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo by talkSport

He used Ronaldo as a centre-forward against Omonia after benching him in the Premier League over the weekend. Unfortunately, the player’s situation wasn’t good.

Despite having nine attempts at goal and hitting the woodwork once, Ronaldo struggled to have an impact on the game. In the end, he was only credited with one assist as Manchester United triumphed 3-2 away from home.

The Manchester United manager, in his postgame interview, refuted rumours that Ronaldo laboured against Omonia in vain. He insisted that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had an impact on the game despite not converting any of his shots.

He told Manchester Evening News that Ronaldo saved two goals and did well with Marcus Rashford’s goal.

“The first two, good saves from the goalie, so he had a couple of chances, he created a couple of chances. He was involved with a good run with the first goal for Marcus Rashford, so he had an impact in this game.”