Erik ten Hag has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for his "unacceptable" behaviour after seeing the striker leave Manchester United's final pre-season outing against Rayo Vallecano before the final whistle.
Ronaldo returned to the Red Devils' starting XI for the clash at Old Trafford after an extended summer break, playing the first 45 minutes before being substituted for Amad Diallo.
The 37-year-old was pictured leaving the stadium before full-time, and it was subsequently reported that he was joined by Diogo Dalot and a number of other players.
What has Ten Hag said about Ronaldo leaving early?
Man Utd officials reportedly made it clear that they had no issue with Ronaldo and co heading home early, but Ten Hag has insisted that they did not have his permission.
When quizzed on Ronaldo's conduct, the Dutchman told Viaplay Sport: "Certainly not, that is unacceptable. For everyone. I told them that it's unacceptable. That we are a team, a squad, and that you should stay until the end."
Next Match
Will Ronaldo leave Man Utd this summer?
GOAL confirmed at the start of July that Ronaldo had informed the board of his desire to leave the club in order to continue playing Champions League football.
The likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have all since been linked with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, but his future remains very much up in the air heading into the Red Devils' Premier League opener against Brighton on Sunday.
United and Ten Hag have publicly insisted Ronaldo is not for sale, however speculation over a potential transfer remains ongoing and a return to Sporting CP is now being mooted.
Ten Hag urged to "engage" with Ronaldo
Ten Hag has been given advice on how to handle Ronaldo by former Man Utd assistant coach Chris Armas, who served under interim boss Ralf Rangnick in the second half of the 2021-22 season.
The veteran forward scored 12 goals in 19 Premier League games while Armas was a member of the backroom staff, and the American believes one-on-one communication is the best way to bring the best out of him.
"It's a hands-on approach, speaking with him, bringing him into the office, asking him questions, so he's part of the solutions and part of the success," Armas told Sky Sports.
"It was my job to work out how to get all that fire, experience and talent and challenge him as much as I could. I think the most important thing is to engage with Cristiano.
"He's got so much to give, his commitment to winning and scoring, each guy has their different type of leadership. He can be a leader in his way, and my goal like everyone in the squad was to say how can I get the most out of Cristiano.
"When you talk about, at the highest level, seeing a professional and what winning means to Ronaldo, what scoring goals mean to him - he's on the team, a big part of the team and he's a guy who produced."