Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo's suspension from first-team action is only for this weekend's away clash at Chelsea.
The Dutchman has taken action against the 37-year-old forward after he stormed down the Old Trafford tunnel without permission at the tail-end of Wednesday night's victory over Tottenham. Ten Hag later confirmed that Ronaldo had first refused to come on as a substitute before his temper tantrum took attention away from a dominant United display.
Grilled on whether Ronaldo would return to the fold in the games that follow the trip to Stamford Bridge, Ten Hag told Sky Sports: "Yes, I think it [his suspension] is only for this weekend, this match and then we will talk and we will see."
Addressing the situation with reporters during his pre-match presser before the upcoming game against the Blues, Ten Hag explained: "What the talk - if you ask about that - is between Cristiano and me. The statement is also clear, I think. He remains an important player in the squad.
"I am the manager, I am responsible for the culture here and I have to set standards and values and I have to control them. In the team, we have values and standards and I have to control that.
"After Vallecano, I told him it was unacceptable but not him everyone, this is the second time, there are consequences. We miss him tomorrow. It's a miss for the squad but it's important for the attitude and mentality of the group and now we have to focus on Chelsea as that is important."
Ronaldo released a lengthy statement of his on on Instagram shortly after where he claimed he can do no more than "keep working hard in Carrington, support my teammates and be ready for everything in any given game."
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The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's frustration clearly stems from the lack of minutes he has received this season despite being told to stay put when he made clear he wanted out of United in the summer.
Pressed on why he hasn't opted for Ronaldo more in the league, Ten Hag told Sky Sports: "I think he has played over 700 minutes in the season so far which is a respectable number.
"It is not as much as [Jadon] Sancho or [Marcus] Rashford, they have a bit more but not a lot more so we have that group of offensive players and we need rotation because no one can play every game."
