"He's massively in the wrong" - Ex-Manchester United striker says he'd have grabbed Cristiano Ronaldo by the throat after his tantrum against Tottenham
Premier League legend Dion Dublin has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for his actions during Manchester United's match against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Red Devils picked up a vital 2-0 win against Spurs in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Wednesday (October 19) night. However, their fantastic performance has largely been overshadowed by events involving Ronaldo.
The Portuguese was left on the bench for the entirety of the game and was seen heading into the tunnel even before the full-time whistle.
Dublin, who played 15 times for Manchester United between 1992 and 1994, slammed Ronaldo for his actions. He said (as quoted by the Daily Mail):
"I'd probably want to get him around the throat and say 'What are you doing?' It's out of order. I love Ronaldo, I've got a lot of respect for him. I think he should be getting more minutes and think he can make a difference more than most. However, the game's still going on, your team-mates are still playing."
Dublin went on to add:
"It basically says 'I don't really care'. For me in the dressing room it says 'I'm off,' and 'I don't really care about my team-mates.' I know he does and I know he's passionate for playing for Man United, but tonight I think he's massively in the wrong."
As per The Athletic's Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell, Ronaldo not only left the pitch before the full-time whistle. Whitwell tweeted that the Portuguese superstar exited Old Trafford as well.
He added that the team didn't really register his absence in the dressing room after the game as they were overjoyed with the result.
Cristiano Ronaldo-less Manchester United comprehensively beat Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United were the better team for much of their match against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
Barring their visit to Manchester City, the Red Devils have largely upped their game against the top sides in the Premier League this season. They entered the match against Spurs after beating Liverpool and league leaders Arsenal previously.
Erik ten Hag's side were superb from the start against Antonio Conte's visitors, who were just not at the races. United had 19 shots and five on target in the first half (compared to five and one respectively for Spurs). They were only kept out by some lackluster finishing and a few fantastic saves from Hugo Lloris.
However, Manchester United didn't let the momentum slip after half-time and went ahead in the 47th minute through Fred's deflected strike. Bruno Fernandes added a second 22 minutes later to effectively settle the deal.
Lloris' heroics were the only reason Tottenham, who got only one shot on target in the second half as well, didn't concede more goals.