“Get used to it or leave!” - Gary Neville says Manchester United are a better team without Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for his recent antics, claiming the side are better off without him.

The Portugal international refused to come on and then proceeded to leave the stadium before full-time during Manchester United's 2-0 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, October 19.

He was subsequently axed for the Red Devils' league clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, which ended 1-1. Manager Erik ten Hag's decision has divided opinions among pundits, with Neville and Roy Keane on different pages about the matter.

While analyzing the Chelsea game on Sky Sports (via Mirror), Neville went on a monologue on the Ronaldo situation, saying:

"For me, Erik ten Hag had no choice, no option. Cristiano’s left the ground twice, you can’t do that, his Instagram post which said I respect my teammates and sometimes in the heat of the moment you do something wrong.

"On the eve of pre-season, he asked for a transfer, he’s building up a list of things. It’s a messy end and Ten Hag is trying to establish control."

Highlighting how Ronaldo has enough experinece to understand that he was on the wrong, Neville said:

"I always think about the fact, Ronaldo has played 100s of games where players have had to watch him, you have to make sure you’re in the changing room, shaking players’ hands then you have it out with the manager separately.

"It’s not about Erik ten Hag. He had no other choice but the players in the dressing room had to have some action against them.

"Lots of players have watched him, now he’s had to watch them, your careers like a mountain, you’re in for a few games, out the team, get in then you get to the top of the mountain then you have to accept whether you play for a big club and accept less games."

The former Valencia manager believes the Portuguese should leave. He added:

"Or you go to a lesser club and play all the time and Cristiano is going to have to go to somewhere else that's going to play him every week because he can’t accept being on the bench. That’s fine.

"End it this week or create a truce to get to the World Cup, it’s not doing him any favors. Leaving the dressing room before full-time, that’s not what he does, if you’re doing things like that you’ve got to leave."

After Keane objected to Neville's opinion by bringing up what the Portuguese has done in the past, Neville added:

"They [Manchester United] score more goals without him and they get more points without him. That’s a fact. He’s coming to the end of his career, Manchester United are a better team without him, he’s just got to get used to it or leave."

Casemiro's late equalizer gives Manchester United a well-deserved point at Stamford Bridge

Manchester United, in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, were the better team for large parts of the game against Chelsea. They controlled the ball well and had more than twice the shots than the Blues.

But the home side ultimately took the lead in the 87th minute through a Jorginho penalty.

However, the Red Devils found their way back into the game through Casemiro, who scored with a well-placed header deep into injury time. The two sides ultimately shared spoils to remain fourth and fifth respectively in the Premier League table.