Watch: Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo cautioned by police after phone incident
It remains to be seen if Manchester United and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo can come to an agreement that would allow him to leave the club during the open summer transfer window and sign to a team that's playing in this season's UEFA Champions League tournament.
Ronaldo had his name in headlines on Wednesday for an entirely different reason.
Per ESPN and a Sky Sports News piece, Ronaldo appeared to slap a mobile phone out of the hand of a fan later identified as 14-year-old Jake Harding following a 1-0 loss at Everton this past April:
Ronaldo was officially cautioned by Merseyside Police over the matter on Wednesday.
Sky explains that "a caution is not a criminal conviction" but is instead more of "a formal warning which can be used as evidence of bad character if the person goes to court for another crime in the future."
Meanwhile, Harding's mother later told the Liverpool Echo that her son is autistic. His hand appeared to be red and bruised in a picture shared by that outlet.
"We can confirm that a 37-year-old man voluntarily attended and was interviewed under caution in relation to an allegation of assault and criminal damage," Merseyside Police said Wednesday in a released statement. "The allegation relates to an incident following the Everton v Manchester United football match at Goodison Park on Saturday April 9.
"The matter has been dealt with by way of conditional caution. The matter has now concluded."
According to ESPN, Ronaldo took to Instagram shortly after the incident occurred to apologize for his actions.
"It's never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing," CR7 said. "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."
As for Ronaldo's playing future, it was reported Monday that United had dismissed rumors suggesting they could terminate the player's contract after they began the Premier League season with back-to-back defeats that landed them at the bottom of the table heading into this coming Monday's match against rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. It's believed, however, that manager Erik ten Hag would consider selling the five-time Ballon d'Or winner if a buyer emerges and if it's determined that Ronaldo's "departure would be better for the club going forward."
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