Footage shows Ronaldo appearing to drop a fan's phone to the ground on his exit from the pitch following the 1-0 defeat by Everton; Ronaldo said: "We always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters... I would like to apologize for my outburst."
Saturday 9 April 2022 22:12, UK
Man Utd's Cristiano Ronaldo has apologised for his 'outburst' after appearing to throw a fan's phone to the ground following his side's defeat at Everton.
Footage, taken by @EvertonHub, shows Ronaldo lowering his right hand towards the ground before what appears to be a phone colliding with and bouncing up off the surface, as he exited the pitch following the 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park.
United are aware of the footage, which is being widely shared and discussed on social media following the game, and the club said on Saturday afternoon they were looking into the incident.
Ronaldo said on Instagram: "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 apologize 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"
It was a bad day on the pitch for Ronaldo and Manchester United as Anthony Gordon's first-half goal gave the hosts three points.
United, who have won just once in five Premier League games, now look unlikely to qualify for the Champions League next season.
David de Gea described Manchester United's defeat to relegation-threatened Everton as "a disgrace" after their season reached a new low at Goodison Park.
"It's a disgrace from us, to be honest, we should win the game," De Gea told BT Sport.
"We don't create, that's the problem. We don't even create proper chances to score. I don't know what to say, to be honest.
"We're not good enough, that's for sure. It's going to be very difficult now to be in the top four."
United, who last played a week ago as they drew 1-1 with Leicester, were outfought by Everton despite the hosts having just two full days of recovery following Wednesday's crushing 3-2 defeat to relegation rivals Burnley.
"We knew before they were struggling, but how difficult it is to play here even when they are not in a good mood, but they play with more desire," he said.
"They played on Wednesday, they were tired, they were a bit nervous, you could feel it, and even with that we lose the game.
"Of course it's not the perfect atmosphere. But you could see they were tired, they were nervous, and come on, they keep going and keep fighting to win. They had more desire than us. That is not acceptable, and it's very sad to lose today."
April 16 - Norwich (h)
April 19 - Liverpool (a), live on Sky Sports
April 23 - Arsenal (a)
May 2 - Brentford (h), live on Sky Sports
May 7 - Brighton (a), live on Sky Sports
May 15 - Chelsea (h), live on Sky Sports *
May 22 - Crystal Palace (a)
*Subject to change due to FA Cup final
