Kevin Pietersen calls Man Utd manager Erik Ten Hag a 'clown' for 'disrespecting' Cristiano Ronaldo

Former England cricket team captain Kevin Pietersen slammed Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag branding him a 'clown' for 'disrespecting' Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo has been dropped from Manchester United's squad to face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday after he refused to come on as a substitute and left the stadium before the full-time whistle during United's 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

While Ronaldo was criticised by many for his antics, the Portuguese superstar has also managed to find support from his cult fans, who have lashed out at Ten Hag over his treatment of the club legend. Pietersen launched a scathing attack on Ten Hag after Manchester United took to Instagram to share a post featuring cricketers who have visited their stadium.

Hopping on to the T20 World Cup trend, United portrayed how several top cricketers over the years have enjoyed their time at Old Trafford and spent time with those associated with the club. Pietersen was one of the cricketers included in United's post.

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The England cricket great, who is a Chelsea fan, demanded United to take his photo down while slamming Ten Hag for his treatment of Ronaldo, who he regards as the greatest footballer of the present era.

"Please take my picture down? I don't want an association with a club that's managed by a clown who is completely disrespecting the greatest footballer of our time. @cristiano is the BOSS! That clown who no one will ever remember needs a wake up!," read Pietersen's comment which has now been removed.

United were quick to take down Pietersen's picture from their post and also removed his comment from the comments section.

Ronaldo, who has struggled to start games under Ten Hag this season, was an unused substitute on the bench in the club's 2-0 win against Spurs earlier this week. Ten Hag on Friday confirmed he wanted to bring the Portuguese on in the second half but he refused to come on.

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Ronaldo was seen storming down the tunnel with a few minutes left for the game to finish and left the stadium before the final whistle.

He has been punished by the United manager for his actions and has been dropped from the squad to face Chelsea. Ronaldo has been asked to train with the United U-21s but is likely to return to the main squad in a few days. When asked about his behaviour, Ten Hag said the 37-year-old will have to face consequences as his actions were unacceptable.