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own up
‘Absolutely pathetic!’ – Cristiano Ronaldo blasted for failing to apologise in statement as Manchester United star accused of disrespecting his teammates
Cristiano Ronaldo has been blasted for failing to apologise over his 'disrespectful' behaviour this week.
The Manchester United superstar refused to come on as a substitute in the 2-0 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday night.
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He walked down the Old Trafford tunnel before the end of the match and left the stadium straight away.
Erik ten Hag said immediately after the game that he would deal with the situation on Thursday and United subsequently announced that the 37-year-old has been axed from the squad to face Chelsea on Saturday.
Ronaldo himself then released a statement in the hours after that saying ‘sometimes the heat of the moment gets the better of us’. However, he stopped short of apologising for his actions.
Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant criticised the five-time Ballon d’Or winner for not owning up for his actions.
He told talkSPORT: “Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. At the end of the day, be a man and own up to your mistakes. Say ‘hands up, I messed up here and I sincerely apologise to firstly my teammates, my manager, the club and the fans’.
“That statement there, he’s not taking accountability there and there’s no apology.
“It’s about him and how ‘I’ve done this and done that’. It’s a load of nonsense. It’s just PR for him and not what he should be doing.
“It’s pathetic.”
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Ronaldo has also been criticised for disrespecting his teammates by leaving early and also refusing to go on.
Former Charlton, Tottenham and Sunderland striker Darren Bent says that he sees no way the Portugal superstar can come back from this.
He told talkSPORT Drive: “What he did, I thought, was really disrespectful to his teammates. I thought he let himself down.
“The club are trying to go in the right direction and I think Erik ten Hag is doing a good job.
“It was their performance of the season and it has been overshadowed by Ronaldo being upset because he didn’t come on.
“It was like a spoilt brat. There’s no way back for him.
“We know how good he’s been, he’s a great a one of the best to ever do it, but we are talking about the here and now.
“He didn’t set an example for the younger players in that Manchester United squad. His attitude was all wrong, it was all about himself and he forget about his teammates that put in that effort to get that result against Tottenham.
“He’s been petulant and disrespected his teammates who have worked hard. They’ve put in the performance of the season and he’s just left. “
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