Cristiano Ronaldo 'to be hit with £1m fine as punishment for refusing to play'

Manchester United will reportedly fine Cristiano Ronaldo £1m for his conduct during the latter stages of Wednesday's Premier League contest with Tottenham Hotspur.

The 37-year-old refused to enter the field as a late substitute in his side's 2-0 win, which has seen him dropped for Saturday's clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

According to the Daily Star, Ronaldo is facing a fine of £1m, with the club wanting to send a clear message to the Portugal international that his conduct was unacceptable.

The report claims that the fine equals two weeks wages, and he will be made to apologise to his Man United teammates for refusing to enter the field against Antonio Conte's side.

The 20-time English champions are allegedly prepared to offload Ronaldo in January, but there are currently a lack of suitors for the Portuguese.

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Ronaldo was seen heading down the tunnel in the latter stages of the game with Spurs, and it had initially been thought that he was overlooked by Erik ten Hag in terms of an appearance.

However, Ten Hag confirmed at his press conference on Friday afternoon that he had wanted to use the former Sporting Lisbon youngster, who refused to take to the field.

Ronaldo will now be absent for the clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but he is in line to return to training next week to prepare for the Europa League contest with Sheriff Tiraspol.

The forward has only scored twice at club level this season, and his contract at Old Trafford is due to expire next June, with an extension unlikely at this stage.

A recent report claimed that Man United were prepared to let Ronaldo leave over the summer, but the club did not receive a single enquiry from a European outfit.

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As well as Ronaldo, the Red Devils will also again be without the services of Anthony Martial for Saturday's clash with Chelsea due to an ongoing back problem.

As a result, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony could play as the front three for Ten Hag's side, who will be looking to build on their two-goal success over Tottenham.

Ronaldo is believed to have told Man United at the start of July that he wanted to leave over the summer in order to continue playing in the Champions League this season.

However, despite being linked with the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Real Madrid, the transfer window closed with the forward still in Manchester.