Ronaldo to fight FA charge 

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo will contest an FA charge for slapping a phone out of a teenage Everton fan’s hand.

The 37-year-old is facing a potential fine or suspension for the incident, which happened after Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park in April.

While Ronaldo does not dispute that the flashpoint occurred, he and the United manager, Erik ten Hag, will plead his case when a disciplinary committee meets to decide his fate.

Ronaldo accepted a Merseyside police caution in August after he was interviewed over the allegation of assault and criminal damage. The FA followed up last month by charging him with a breach of FA Rule E33, saying: “It is alleged that the forward’s conduct after the final whistle was improper and/or violent.”

He issued an apology on social media but, while there is no disputing from the player or United that the incident took place, club sources claim that Ronaldo will offer mitigation against the charge.

On Wednesday Ten Hag had clouded the issue when asked whether Ronaldo, who could feature in United’s Europa League home tie with Omonia Nicosia on Thursday night, would accept the charge.

“We spoke about that and he will not accept it,” Ten Hag said. But it is understood that the Dutchman was referring simply to the fact that Ronaldo would argue that a verdict of a lengthy ban would be disproportionate to the crime, and that he would put forward his defence to the FA.

The FA charge will now go to a hearing, where Ronaldo or his legal team will present his defence. A suspension could be particularly troublesome for the player and club, given the injury problems that continue to plague Anthony Martial this season.

The French forward limped off with an unspecified injury early in Sunday’s win away to Everton and is out of contention for the Nicosia game, potentially paving the way for Ronaldo to play a more significant role in the United first team.

Ronaldo scored the winner at Goodison in last weekend’s 2-1 triumph, the 700th club goal of his career but his first in the Premier League this season.

Ten Hag confirmed that he is happier with Ronaldo’s fitness two months into the season, after the forward missed the team’s pre-season campaign.

“I want to support him as good as possible,” Ten Hag said. “We have a certain demand on players, what we expect from him in certain positions on the pitch and what I do, as with other players, is I want to get the best out of them.

“He is getting in better shape now and I am happy with that, so he can contribute more to the squad and I’m sure he will do. In the start, it was definitely the case and it’s proven once again, no one can miss pre-season.”

Martial’s injuries — his latest is his third of the season — continue to frustrate Ten Hag, however. The 26-year-old has been excellent in small cameos but Sunday represented his first United league start in more than a year, while he has not completed a full 90 minutes in the Premier League since January 2021.

“I’ve had several talks about that with him, really disappointed for him,” Ten Hag said. “From the quality, all the minutes he played, he played well, even Sunday the assist for Antony [United’s first goal] the pressing was good, he was an important factor and played well.

“But obviously, he fell out and it’s disappointing for him and disappointing for the team as well. Of course, I want every player to be available. Sometimes it’s disappointing when they’re not available, especially with all the games coming up. When they’re not available you have to deal with the situation and I focus on the players available.”

Harry Maguire, the club captain who has not played for United since September 15 after picking up a thigh injury while on England duty, also remains on the sidelines.