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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has provided an update on Cristiano Ronaldo's future amid speculations that he is unhappy with his role at the club.
In the 2-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur, Ronaldo stormed down the tunnel towards the end of the match and has since not trained with the first team. The club also confirmed that he will not be involved against Chelsea on Saturday night, 22 October.
During his press-conference ahead of the Chelsea game, the Dutchman insisted that despite Ronaldo's actions, he sees him as a key part of his side.
He said (via, Sky Sports):
"Dropping Ronaldo is for this game and then we continue. It's a strike.
"As we said in the statement, Cristiano remains an important part of the squad and I count on him for the rest of the season. We want to fulfil our ambitions."
The five-time Ballon d'Or stormed down the tunnel towards the end of the match against Tottenham after refusing to come on as a late substitute. Despite his actions, Ten Hag still has belief in Ronaldo's abilities and deems him an important part of the squad. Many will remember that the Portuguese icon was the club's top scorer last season with 24 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United seems to be up in the air
This is proving to be a bad season for Ronaldo as he continues to grab the headlines for the wrong reasons. He was keen to leave Manchester United during the summer as he wanted to play Champions League football.
However, the move did not materialize and he also missed United's pre-season citing family reasons. Lack of match fitness could be one of the reasons why he has lost his place in the starting XI.
The Portugal international has started only two Premier League games this season and has scored just twice in 12 appearances in all competitions.
His recent actions have now cost him dearly as he won't feature in an important top-six clash against Chelsea. Ronaldo is in the final year of his contract with Manchester United and it's looking like this could be his last season at the club.
However, if his situation does not improve in the coming months, a January exit could also very well be on the cards.
