Cristiano Ronaldo sends message to Manchester United teammates despite being dropped by Erik ten Hag for Chelsea game

Cristiano Ronaldo sent a message of support to his Manchester United teammates for their clash against Chelsea on Saturday (October 22).

The Red Devils superstar was left out of the matchday squad after being punished by manager Erik ten Hag for his antics during the game against Tottenham Hotspur. Ronaldo left Old Trafford before the full-time whistle in his team's 2-0 win against Spurs on October 19.

The Dutch tactician admitted that the Portugal icon refused to come on as a substitute late in the game. Ronaldo blamed his actions on the heat of the moment and posted a rather apologetic message on Instagram following his suspension.

It remains to be seen when he will be back with the United squad as Ten Hag is yet to set a date for the Portuguese's return. However, this did not stop Ronaldo from sending a message to his teammates before kick-off at Stamford Bridge.

The former Real Madrid attacker put up a story on Instagram with a photo of himself and his United teammates. He captioned the post, "Let's go @manchesterunited, "which was followed by a clapping and flexing emoji.

The post can be seen in a tweet from Fabrizio Romano below:

This could be a way for Cristiano Ronaldo to show that he is focused on the club's success despite the treatment being meted out to him.

Chelsea and Manchester United went into the half-time break with the score tied at 0-0. This might have been a game where the Portuguese striker could have made an impact in the second half.

However, Ten Hag will have to see the game through without the services of Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Erik ten Hag justifies Cristiano Ronaldo punishment as Manchester United star sits out Chelsea encounter

Ronaldo had previously walked out of the stadium before the full-time whistle in Manchester United's 1-1 pre-season draw against Rayo Vallecano.

No action was taken against him then but Ten Hag claimed that it was important to punish him this time. He said (h/t Manchester Evening News):

"After Rayo Vallecano, I told him it was unacceptable but he was not the only one, but that is for everyone, so when it is the second time, that will have consequences."

The Dutchman has arguably managed the situation well. Ronaldo not being made to face the consequences for the second time for the same offense would have sent the wrong message to the squad.