London, Oct 21 (IANS): Manchester United's midweek Premier league win at home against Tottenham ended on a sour note as star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was caught leaving the pitch before the full-time whistle, having remained an unused substitute for the duration of the contest.

The club on Thursday announced in an official statement that the Portuguese footballer will not be a part of the squad for Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea.

In a statement released on the club's website, the news was confirmed: "Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture."

However, the club's official statement was short and provided no explanation on why this step was taken.

Earlier, a report from The Athletic claimed that the Portugal international had refused to come on as a substitute in United's midweek fixture against Tottenham and it is now expected that he will be made to train alone.

Ronaldo has hit headlines after walking down the tunnel in the 89th minute of the Red Devils' impressive win over Spurs.