"He walks off, shakes his manager’s hand and then sits on the bench" - Gabby Agbonlahor tells Cristiano Ronaldo to follow in Lionel Messi's footsteps

Former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor has advised Cristiano Ronaldo to learn from Lionel Messi on how to react when taken off by the manager.

The 37-year-old Portuguese forward was subbed off in the 72nd minute against Newcastle United on 16 October, which provoked a frustrating reaction from the former Real Madrid man.

He shook his head while trudging off the pitch in a disgruntled fashion and it has not gone down well with Agbonlahor. The former England forward told talkSPORT:

“If Ronaldo’s not performing in a game then there are so many good players that they’ve got available. Elanga and Rashford can be brought on as well."

Suggesting the 37-year-old forward should learn from Messi, Agbonlahor said:

I’ve been watching a lot of PSG games and Messi gets brought off in every game. He doesn’t have a strop. He walks off, shakes his manager’s hand and then sits on the bench."

He added:

“Just because you’re this outstanding player doesn’t mean you can have that feeling of ‘I can’t get brought off, I’m Ronaldo.’”

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp echoed Agbonlahor's thoughts, saying:

“It isn’t good when you’re the manager and you’ve got the crowd off and he’s walking off and showing everybody that he’s really unhappy with the decision."

Adding that veteran players should not make things tough for managers, Redknapp said:

“You want him onside. As the main man at the football club you want him to say ‘okay, the manager’s made a decision and I’m not happy but I’ll jog off and talk to him about it later’. It puts you in a difficult position, for sure."

He added:

“Listen, he’s an incredible and certainly one of the best players the world has ever seen, but I do think that when he behaves like that he makes things a bit difficult.”

Cristiano Ronaldo causes more drama by walking down the tunnel before the final whistle against Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in a game where they dominated their London rivals in all aspects. However, the headline was yet again grabbed by Ronaldo, who vented his frustration at being left on the bench.

When the clock hit the 90th minute mark (with four minutes of injury time left to play), Ronaldo walked down the tunnel with his team still playing. His frustration at being left on the bench might have provoked such a reaction from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

The veteran forward, however, has certainly caused more controversy and headlines regarding his future and the atmosphere in the dressing room with his latest action.