A season of extraordinary lows for Manchester United managed to comb even more maddening depth today. Man United somehow were defeated by Frank Lampard's imploding Everton.
After the final whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in an incident with a young Everton supporter as he limped back to the dressing room.
Ronaldo had come in for serious punishment during the game, as this photo shows.
Cristiano Ronaldo's leg at full-time 🤕 pic.twitter.com/zrN9QXBSEg
— GOAL (@goal) April 9, 2022
He seemed to wincing in pain as he left the pitch.
A gaggle of supporters had gather near the entry to the dressing room, and phone footage uploaded to social media appeared to show Ronaldo slapping a phone from a youth's hand.
Cristiano Ronaldo smashed someone’s phone after the game against Everton.😲 pic.twitter.com/QQLEP4bqbS
— Mr FC (@mrfc100) April 9, 2022
A post claiming to be from the boy's mother was widely shared this evening.
Manchester United said they would investigate the incident and this evening Ronaldo has posted to instagram to express his regret.
Ronaldo apologises to young Everton fan
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.🙏🏽
They played Wednesday and they were tired but they had more desire than us, that is not acceptable. Very sad to lose. It is a disgrace from us. We should be winning this game.
If you don’t score in 95 minutes against a team who conceded three goals against Burnley it is difficult to explain.