Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence after being dropped for Chelsea game; 'United we must...'

The equation between Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United has been massively affected after the player walked down the tunnel before full-time during the match against Tottenham Hotspur. The club on Thursday issued a statement, confirming that he won't be a part of the squad for the upcoming Premier League match against Chelsea, after deciding to axe him for the clash. The 37-year-old has now issued a response to being dropped from the Manchester United squad as punishment for his antics.

Ronaldo asserted that he has always respected his colleagues and seniors throughout his career, but it was 'not always possible.' The forward added that he won't give in to the 'pressure' and that United would stand together again.

Cristiano Ronaldo responds to Manchester United's latest decision

This incident on Wednesday night was the second instance when Ronaldo left a United match before the final whistle. He had previously done that during a friendly match against Rayo Vallecano back in July after being substituted at half-time. Following the latest incident, Ronaldo took to Instagram and wrote, " As I’ve always done throughout my career, I try to live and play respectfully towards my colleagues, my adversaries and my coaches. That hasn’t changed. I haven’t changed. I’m the same person and the same professional that I’ve been for the last 20 years playing elite football, and respect has always played a very important role in my decision making process."

He added," I started very young, the older and most experienced players examples were always very important to me. Therefore, later on, I’ve always tried to set the example myself for the youngsters that grew in all the teams that I’ve represented. Unfortunately that’s not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment get’s the best of us."

"Right now, I just feel that I have to keep working hard in Carrington, support my teammates and be ready for everything in any given game. Giving in to the pressure is not an option. It never was. This is Manchester United, and united we must stand. Soon we’ll be together again."

Why did Manchester United drop Cristiano Ronaldo for the Chelsea game?

The decision by United to axe their star player comes after the five-time Ballon d'Or winner stormed off the pitch before Manchester United vs Tottenham match ended as he remained an unused substitute on Wednesday. Following the Manchester United vs Tottenham match, United manager Erik Ten Hag while playing down Cristiano Ronaldo's actions had said, “Yeah, I don't pay attention to that, we deal with that tomorrow. We want to focus on this team, it was a magnificent performance from all 11 players.”

The club later issued a statement on Thursday that read:

"Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday's game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture."