Cristiano Ronaldo will not accept his Football Association (FA) charge for throwing an Everton supporter's phone, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said.
A video emerged on social media of United forward Ronaldo appearing to smash a fan's phone as he left the field after Everton's 1-0 Premier League win in April.
The Portugal captain was questioned by Merseyside Police in relation to an alleged assault and criminal damage and received a caution in August.
The FA last month charged the 37-year-old for breaching Rule E3, which relates to "improper and/or violent conduct", but the case now looks set to proceed to a hearing.
Asked if Ronaldo accepts the charge, Ten Hag told reporters on Wednesday: "We have talked about that. He will not accept it."
Ronaldo issued an apology on Instagram at the time, stating: "It's never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing.
"Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game.
"I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair-play and sportsmanship."
Ronaldo has endured a disappointing time of things on the field for United this season, having started just one of their opening eight Premier League matches.
However, he scored his second goal of the campaign in all competitions in Sunday's 2-1 win at Everton after being introduced from the substitutes' bench in the first half.
And Ten Hag is pleased with the way the superstar forward has gone about returning to top fitness after missing almost the entirety of United's pre-season for personal reasons.
"I want to support him as good as possible," Ten Hag said at a pre-match news conference ahead of Thursday's Europa League group-stage match with Omonia Nicosia.
"We have certain demands from players, what we expect in certain positions. I want to get the best out of him and he's in better shape now and can contribute more."
Asked if a lack of fitness is the reason Ronaldo has not started more occasionally this season, Ten Hag said: "At the start that was the case.
"It's proven once again that no one can miss a pre-season."
Ronaldo was brought on against Everton after Anthony Martial sustained another injury, with the forward yet to return to training as of Thursday.
"I've had several talks with him and I'm really disappointed for him," Ten Hag said. "We'll see how he develops ahead of Sunday [against Newcastle United]."
Ten Hag also confirmed Harry Maguire is still absent, while Donny van De Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are "longer-term" absentees.
United beat Omonia 3-2 in Cyprus last week and are second in Group E, three points ahead of Sheriff and three behind leaders Real Sociedad.
Ten Hag's side face a gruelling run of fixtures on the domestic and European front, but the Dutchman says it is important his side seal top spot in their group.
"I told the players weeks ago, before the break, it was important to win the group," he said. "We want to win all the games. It's clear, we want to avoid [finishing second].
"I think all the clubs that play in Europe have the same problem. We have a squad to cover that. Injuries and suspensions will happen, but you have to deal with it as a squad."
Premier League rejects Man City request to delay 2025-26 season start
The Premier League has rejected a request from Manchester City to delay the start to their 2025-26 campaign to allow for more recovery time after the Club World Cup.
As 2022-23 Champions League winners, City are one of two English clubs – alongside Chelsea – to have secured a spot at FIFA's first 32-team Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States next year.
The tournament's expanded format has proven extremely controversial, provoking widespread criticism for denying players rest time during the off-season.
Players' union Fifpro has started legal proceedings against FIFA over the scheduling of the tournament, claiming the fixture schedule has become "unworkable".
The Club World Cup is set to run from June 15 to July 13, with players involved unlikely to receive substantial rest time before the domestic season begins in early August.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Fulham, boss Pep Guardiola revealed City had already seen a request to delay their opening game knocked back.
"The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery," Guardiola said. "Thank you so much.
"I think the club asked the league to postpone one or two or three weeks so we can have a holiday after the [Club] World Cup but it is absolutely not allowed.
"Would the Premier League say yes to us? No. Absolutely not. They won't postpone these games so there will be a moment of, 'what do we do?
"I don't have an answer right now but we are going to take a decision with common sense."
Suarez: Bielsa has 'divided' Uruguay national team with tactics and approach
Luis Suarez feels Marcelo Bielsa's coaching style has "divided" Uruguay's national team, as he revealed the negative atmosphere within the camp during the Copa America.
Suarez retired from international duty last month as Uruguay's leading scorer with 69 goals, while his tally of 143 caps is only bettered by Diego Godin (161).
The veteran forward was part of the side that finished third at the Copa America in July; La Celeste's best performance at the tournament since lifting the trophy in 2011.
However, he revealed it was not a happy camp in the United States, where Bielsa's tactics and approach caused friction among the players.
Suarez said some were contemplating their international futures, while he was critical of the treatment of midfielder Agustin Canobbio, who was used as a "sparring partner".
"I will ask the fans not to take it out on the players when things go wrong," the Inter Miami forward told DSports. "Bielsa has divided the whole group because of the way he trains.
"The players will reach a limit, they'll explode. There were even team-mates who said to me they were only playing in the Copa America and nothing else.
"We all know that he doesn't like to deal with leaders or players with experience. I had to keep quiet out of respect for the national team and for the sake of coexistence. I didn't want to be part of the problem.
"A player who is one of the 26 selected for the Copa America can't be made to participate as if he were a 'sparring' partner. It's annoying. I understand Agustin. I'll support him, he's been holding back a lot.
"The staff are not allowed to come in and greet us or eat with us. Many of the players held a meeting to ask the coach to at least say: 'good morning'. He didn't even say hello. It hurts me to see what the national team is going through."
Columbus Crew v Philadelphia Union: Curtin still looking to improve road record
Despite boasting a strong road record this season, Jim Curtin still believes Philadelphia Union can do better in their final away match against Columbus Crew.
The Union lost their most recent road outing, falling 2-1 to Orlando City in midweek, but had only lost one of their previous three such games before that.
They are one of three teams currently on 37 points in the Eastern Conference, but sit 10th, below Toronto FC due to winning fewer games.
Curtin knows they need to win their last two matches and hopes they can improve on Wednesday's performance.
"I think our road record has been good enough this year," Curtin said. "Overall, at this stage of the year, as you know, the margins are razor-thin.
"We have to do a better job in the attacking end and also defending our box because the goals we concede, we could just do a lot better on it.
"Obviously, we'll look at it, try and get ready, regroup, and go against Columbus very quickly."
Meanwhile, Columbus had a four-match unbeaten streak snapped by their 3-2 defeat to Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami.
With three games left, they are looking to secure second in the table to give themselves a stronger playoff position.
Wilfried Nancy was disappointed by the defeat to Miami but hopes they can show their fighting spirit in what he expects to be another tough game.
"We know we're able to compete against top teams, and we showed that against Miami. The next game is going to be another story," he said.
"They may not have [Lionel] Messi, but they have good players. We have no problem with competing, and even with 10 men in the last game, we were still proactive, we were brave and courageous."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi
Diego Rossi scored his 12th goal of the season for the Crew on Wednesday, his fourth MLS season with 12 or more goals.
Only six players in league history have more seasons with 12 or more goals than Rossi.
Philadelphia Union – Mikael Uhre
Mikael Uhre has four goals and four assists in his last nine MLS appearances, including an assist on the Union’s lone goal on Wednesday.
Uhre has contributed to at least one goal in seven of those nine matches.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN
Columbus are unbeaten in 10 straight home matches against the Union in all competitions (W6 D4), including a 3-1 win in the Leagues Cup semifinals on August 21. The Union's last win at Columbus was a 2-1 victory at Historic Crew Stadium in August 2016.
However, Columbus have lost two of their last three regular-season home matches (W1) after losing just one of their previous 24 at Lower.com Field in league play. The Crew have allowed 10 goals over the three games after letting in nine goals in its first 12 home matches this season.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia's defeat to Orlando City on Wednesday was their 13th loss of the campaign to go along with only nine wins. This will be the first time since 2017 that Philadelphia will have more losses than wins over a single regular season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Columbus Crew – 58%
Draw – 21.8%
Philadelphia Union – 20.2%
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