Gary Lineker and Micah Richards slam ‘unacceptable’ Cristiano Ronaldo

Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have criticized Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese star stormed away from Manchester United’s win over Tottenham at Old Trafford before turning full-time.

Ronaldo responded to being left on the bench as an unused substitute by disappearing down the tunnel in the 89th minute, and Sportsmail understands that he may have even left the stadium before the match ended.

United boss Erik ten Hag is expected to take action over the 37-year-old’s latest noose.

And Ronaldo received fierce criticism from Lineker and Richards on Match of the Day after the incident.

He was dropped from United’s squad for the 2-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford

“We all know what a great player he’s been, but walking off the field as a substitute two minutes before the end of the game… I’m sorry, that’s unacceptable. That’s bad,” Lineker said.

Richard agreed. “It’s so poor,” he said. “For someone we’ve looked up to for so long, one of the greats of the game.

“To do that when your team is winning, to make everything about him. It’s unacceptable.’

During his press conference after the 2-0 victory over Spurs, Ten Hag said: ‘I have seen him, but I have not spoken to him. I’ll work on that tomorrow, not today. We celebrate this victory.

Ronaldo has regularly made clear his frustrations over a lack of minutes at the club

‘I’m not paying attention today. I’ll deal with it tomorrow. I want to keep the focus on the team and a great performance from all 11 players and the substitutes. It was a team performance.’

It is the second time that Ronaldo leaves a United game without permission under Ten Hag. In July, the 37-year-old left Old Trafford at halftime after being substituted in an exhibition game against Rayo Vallecano.

Ten Hag described the incident as “unacceptable”, but pointed out that Ronaldo was not the only United player to leave early.

The 37-year-old was also clearly frustrated when he was substituted early against Newcastle

The behavior of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was a problem for both Ten Hag and his predecessor Ralf Rangnick.

On Sunday, Ronaldo attracted more negative publicity when he shook his head and muttered as he was substituted with 20 minutes left in United’s 0-0 draw against Newcastle.

In the run-up to this match, Ten Hag said he had no problem with Ronaldo’s reaction, as long as it was “in a calm, normal way”.

But the Dutchman will be furious that Ronaldo’s latest muzzle has overshadowed United’s best performance under him, with goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes giving United a well-deserved victory over Antonio Conte’s side.

United boss Erik ten Hag has vowed to ‘address the issue’ after Ronaldo’s actions on Thursday

Ronaldo has cut a frustrated figure several times this season after telling the club he wanted to leave in the summer.

The Portuguese attacker had hoped for a move to a team that plays in the Champions League.

Alan Shearer, who commented on Amazon Prime Video during the match, said: “I understand his frustration, but when you look at the bigger picture, his team put in a really good performance.

“The manager had an important decision and it has been proven that he is right. You’re talking about arguably the best player we’ve ever seen, but it makes it difficult for the manager.

“He will be asked about that, but he should be talking about the players on the pitch tonight.”