Erik ten Hag had called on Cristiano Ronaldo to come into play on Wednesday during the match against Tottenham, but the Portuguese refused to come off the bench, the Manchester United coach said on Friday.
Two days after the bloodshed of his player, who left the stadium even before the end of the match, ten Hag wanted to make things clear, adding that there must be "consequences" for his behavior.
Manchester United announced on Thursday that the player was dropped from the squad for Saturday's game against Chelsea following his outburst.
Asked during his pre-match press conference whether CR7 had refused to come on as a substitute against Spurs, Ten Hag replied in the affirmative.
"What (happened in) the discussion is between Cristiano and me.
The statement (from the club) is also clear, I think,” explained the Dutch technician.
"When it's the second time, it has consequences"
Ten Hag, in office since this summer, nevertheless assured that Ronaldo "remains an important part of the team" despite his transfer desires during the offseason.
Asked how he is handling the situation, the 52-year-old coach said on Friday: “I am the manager.
I am responsible for the culture of high performance sport here and I have to set standards and values and I have to control them”.
“After Rayo Vallecano, I told you it was unacceptable but he was not the only one.
It's for everyone, ”said the former Ajax Amsterdam coach.
“When it's the second time, it has consequences.
That's what we did.
He will be missed tomorrow, he added.
But I think it's important for the attitude and mentality of the band.
Now we have to focus on Chelsea and that's the most important thing.
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