A late substitution denied by Cristiano Ronaldo himself is said to be the reason for the football superstar's subsequent deletion from the Manchester United squad.

According to English media reports, the 37-year-old Portuguese refused to be brought onto the pitch in the final minutes of the Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur (2-0) on Wednesday evening.

However, there is no confirmation of this behavior.

Shortly before the final whistle, Ronaldo had instead fled to the Old Trafford dressing room with his head down, but without permission from coach Erik ten Hag.

As a result, he dropped him from the squad for the game against Chelsea this Saturday (6.30 p.m.).

The association does not provide information on the reasons.

"The rest of the team is fully focused on preparing for this game," it said.

According to the English tabloid "The Sun", Ronaldo has now lost the support of the team as a result of his action.

He has also been banned from team training ahead of the Chelsea game and has been fined £720,000 (€826,000) for publicly showing disrespect for the manager.

"As I have always done throughout my career, I try to live and play with respect for my colleagues, my opponents and my coaches.

That hasn't changed," wrote the 37-year-old himself on Instagram, but he didn't apologize for his behavior in his post we are taken by surprise in the heat of battle.”

He feels he has to "work hard, support my teammates and be ready for anything in every game".

Ronaldo continued: "Giving in to pressure is not an option.

She never was.

This is Manchester United and we must be united.

We'll be together again soon.” English media, on the other hand, assume that he will have to leave the club in winter.

Ronaldo has not progressed beyond a reserve role under Dutch team manager ten Hag this season.

In the league, he was only in the starting XI on three out of twelve matchdays.

Aston Villa sacks Gerrard

Aston Villa, meanwhile, have responded to a poor start to the season by sacking team manager Steven Gerrard.

"We thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him all the best for the future," the club wrote just a few hours after the 0:3 (0:1) defeat at Fulham.

Thomas Tuchel is also treated as a potential successor in the English media.

The former Bundesliga coach was fired at Chelsea in early September.

Other candidates circulating include the names Mauricio Pochettino and Unai Emery.

Liverpool legend Gerrard took over as manager at Aston Villa in November last year.

The Birmingham club is 17th in the table this season with just nine points from eleven games.