Ronaldo storming out of Old Trafford was a ‘flamethrower to the dressing room’, says Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer says Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘selfish’ behavior to storm out of Old Trafford before Man United beat Tottenham 2-0 on Wednesday night was like ‘a flamethrower to the dressing room’ as the ramifications surrounding his actions continue.

Ronaldo has come under fire again in his turbulent stint back at United after he refused to go against Spurs and then left the stadium – eclipsing an impressive win over Antonio Conte’s men.

His actions saw him knocked down by a host of top pundits, while manager Erik ten Hag has revealed he will be dropped for their next game at Chelsea, and Shearer – who commented when the incident took place – joined the chorus of disapproval.

“From the outset I have to say that Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent behavior is totally unacceptable,” he said in his column with the athletic.

“Showing respect for your teammates, your manager and your club’s supporters is one of the foundations of football and refusing to come on as a substitute, as Erik ten Hag has confirmed, and retreating to the dressing room with a game still in the game.” make. progress takes a flamethrower into one of the key locker room codes.

“In a team game, where the basic principle is win or lose together, such a display of selfishness and petulance is hugely unprofessional and it is right that Ronaldo should therefore be disciplined by Manchester United.

“He was a terrible example to set and it’s a shame that instead of reflecting on their best performance of the season against Tottenham Hotspur, Ten Hag has been forced to talk about someone who only played on the periphery.”

Shearer did have some sympathy for the player, but admitted Ronaldo must feel “strange” to be kept on the sidelines at the moment.

“I understand his behavior looks bad – and it is bad – but the context in Ronaldo’s case is how unprecedented it must feel to be normal,” he added.

“How strange it must seem to be on the same planet as everyone else, when you hold yourself to the highest standards of performance. When you are a force of nature and your power is blocked.

“It must be hard to have that on the horizon when you know to the core of your being that you are still achieving goals under different circumstances. I don’t approve of the way he acted, but I do think there is some mitigation.

“There’s a disconnect between knowing you can’t do everything you used to do, that you may have lost half a meter of pace, and actually accepting it because you still have the same hunger and attitude and mentality. It must be harder when you’re a phenomenon like Ronaldo.

“No one wants to see him behave like this, he’s stumbling along the sidelines, and that’s where we need to turn this back to the beginning. His reaction was really bad and not for the first time. He should be bigger than that.”

While Shearer was commenting – and before Ronaldo’s episode grabbed football – he waded into the debate about his negative impact on the team by proposing to his team-mate and compatriot Bruno Fernandes to play better when the attacker isn’t on the team.

Fernandes capped off a great performance against Tottenham by rounding out the win with a brilliant curled finish.

“Would I be thrilled to say Bruno looks happier on this team without Ronaldo?” Shearer said.

“I just look at his performance tonight and his energy and look at his leadership and the qualities he has provided both defensively and offensively and he has done so much for them in this performance tonight. He deserved that goal.’