Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly left Old Trafford entirely before the final whistle was blown in Manchester United's Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
The 37-year-old had started the team's previous two games against Omonia and Newcastle United, but he was back on the bench against Tottenham, with Marcus Rashford preferred through the middle.
Ronaldo was not used during the 2-0 victory for Erik ten Hag's side, with Scott McTominay, Anthony Elanga and Christian Eriksen the three players that appeared off the bench.
The Portugal international headed down the tunnel in the latter stages of the contest, and Ten Hag said after the match that he would "deal" with the incident on Thursday.
"He was there, I have seen him, but I didn't speak with him," Ten Hag told Amazon Prime. "I don't pay attention to that, I will deal with that tomorrow. 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."
According to The Athletic, Ronaldo did not stick around in the dressing room to celebrate the victory with his teammates and instead decided to leave the stadium entirely.
A similar incident occurred during a pre-season match at the end of July, when he decided to leave Old Trafford before the end of the friendly with Rayo Vallecano.
Ronaldo is believed to have informed Man United at the start of July of his desire to leave over the summer in order to continue playing Champions League football.
However, there were a lack of takers for the Portuguese, who has found it difficult to show his best form at club level during the 2022-23 campaign.
Ronaldo has only scored twice in 12 appearances for the 20-time English champions this season, in addition to registering one assist.
The forward's only Premier League goal of the campaign came against Everton on October 9, but he was withdrawn early against Newcastle on Sunday after struggling to make an impact.
Man United are now preparing for Saturday's clash with Chelsea, and Anthony Martial could be available for the contest, which is likely to push Ronaldo further down the pecking order.
There have been suggestions that the former Sporting Lisbon youngster could leave Old Trafford in January, with Galatasaray thought to have recently expressed an interest.
Ronaldo's contract is due to expire at the end of June, although the Red Devils have the option to extend the deal until June 2024, which might allow the club to sell him for a transfer fee next summer. body check tags ::
