“I think it gives a horrible message and it has to be dealt with” – Danny Murphy slams Cristiano Ronaldo for setting ‘horrendous example’ at Manchester United

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has criticized Cristiano Ronaldo for leaving Old Trafford before the end of Manchester United's match against Rayo Vallecano.

Ronaldo returned to training with the Red Devils a few days before their clash against Atletico Madrid. He didn't play against the Rojiblancos, but was named in the starting XI by Erik ten Hag for the match against Vallecano.

The 37-year-old looked off the pace at times and was substituted after 45 minutes as Ten Hag looked to provide minutes to other players in the squad. Reports then surfaced that Ronaldo had exited Old Trafford prior to the final whistle of the game, which ended 1-1.

Manchester United didn't comment on the event immediately after the game. They have since stated that they have no problem with Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, as per Sky Sports (via talkSPORT). The club added that he was one of multiple players to leave the stadium.

However, the entire event didn't please Murphy, who had this to say on the "White and Jordan Show" (as quoted by talkSPORT):

“Well it doesn’t look good. I don’t think whatever your grievances are or however big a name you are you should do that. I think it gives a horrible message and it has to be dealt with.”

The former midfielder, who won six titles with Liverpool, added:

“You can’t have a player doing that, it sets a horrendous example.”

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and fellow talkSPORT pundit Jamie O'Hara voiced similar opinions about the incident. He said:

“He’s one of the greatest players ever but he’s still got to be a part of a squad and a part of a team. If he’s been dragged at half-time and left, that’s not good. You can’t do that as a player.”

---

Cristiano Ronaldo could be on the bench for Manchester United's Premier League opener

Manchester United will take on Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League at Old Trafford on August 7 in their first official fixture of the 2022-23 club season. Ten Hag's troops will look to kick off their season in the best way possible as they look to return to the top four.

Barring any last-minute injury concerns, the Red Devils will have almost their entire squad to choose from for their clash against Brighton. Many have consequently understandably wondered whether Cristiano Ronaldo will be among those involved.

As per James Ducker of the Telegraph (via Utd Plug on Twitter), Ronaldo will "at best" be on the bench for the match against the Seagulls.

The Portuguese forward will likely need some more time to get up to speed after missing most of Manchester United's pre-season due to personal reasons.