Ten Hag insists he does not want to sell Ronaldo in January but refuses to confirm when forward will return to Man Utd squad

• Ronaldo left game early & refused to come on
• Has been forced to train with Under-21s
• Ten Hag doesn't want him out but future unclear

WHAT HAPPENED? Ronaldo has been forced to train with the United Under-21 squad after leaving the game against Tottenham early and refusing to come on as a substitute. Ten Hag has insisted he does not want to sell Ronaldo, but refused to confirm when he will return to the squad.

WHAT HE SAID: “I count on Cristiano," Ten Hag said. When asked if he thinks Ronaldo will be there or if he wants to be there for the rest of the season, he simply replied "Both". He added he and Ronaldo would "talk first" but he does not want to leave him out of the squad any longer than necessary.

He also suggested it won't be longer than Monday that he is excluded: "I don’t think so, no. That is not my purpose. I said I don’t want to miss him and I want him to be in the squad and I want him to get involved for every game because he has an impact.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ronaldo has been a talking point for most of Ten Hag's reign at United. He was first involved in a summer-long transfer saga, where he didn't end up leaving Old Trafford, and has since walked out from two games early, leading him to be reprimanded by the Dutchman. On the pitch he hasn't exactly been a hit either, scoring just two goals all season.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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Aston Villa

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21 Dec 202511:30

Manchester United

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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UNITED & RONALDO? The Red Devils will travel to Chelsea on Saturday without Ronaldo in their ranks. It is unclear if he will be involved for the arrival of Sheriff to Old Trafford in the Europa League on October 27.