COMMENT: No matter the fall out. No matter the strop. Just as it has always been, Cristiano Ronaldo remains in control of his future at Manchester United...

There was no defending that. It was a disgrace. Walking out on your teammates. Your club. On a night when everything had come together. To be in the Old Trafford carpark before the final whistle and to be driving away as his teammates celebrated in front of the Stretford End, Ronaldo's behaviour was unforgivable.

And beyond this great sulk, it was a special night for United. Victory over Tottenham was the team's best performance under Erik ten Hag. 2-0 didn't do it justice, the performance of Hugo Lloris all that stood between United and a cricket score.

All of which condemns Ronaldo's actions even more. Not only on the night. But also over the summer. Victory against Spurs - and the manner in which it was achieved - was a marker. It not only confirmed United as a top four contender, but as a team capable of achieving much, much more. As this column stated prior to the meltdown at Manchester City, there is genuine title ambitions amongst Ten Hag and his staff - for this season. And that belief has been filtering through the front office and upstairs. Wednesday night at Old Trafford only reaffirmed it.

And the progress was everything that Ronaldo and his agent, Jorge Mendes, had been complaining about over the summer. Time was running out, they said. The 37 year-old couldn't afford to wait while the team caught up and matched his ambitions, they claimed. But what about now? What about this young, growing team? A team where a top four finish can be expected? Indeed, a title challenge, should the momentum be maintained, being something within their grasp?

Does Ronaldo want to be part of that? Does he want to help Ten Hag bring on this group of young players? A leader, a genuine leader, would say 'yes'. On current evidence, Ten Hag and the board have held up their part of the bargain. Ronaldo and Mendes can no longer moan about his teammates being beneath him. He can no longer whinge about a lack of ambition running through the squad. These players are delivering it. They're doing it. Ronaldo should be excited. Floating. He can be part of the rebuilding and revival of this football giant - as we're witnessing today.

Instead, he sulked. He moaned. And quit on his teammates and his manager. This wasn't leadership. This was a disgrace. A disgrace to both the idea of Cristiano Ronaldo and his legacy. The lack of contrition in his lengthy statement after news broke of his axing for the trip to Chelsea only tarnishing him even more.

The sad, sad aspect in all this is that Ten Hag never wanted it to happen. He still doesn't. When the Dutchman says he is counting on Ronaldo for the remainder of the season, he means it. Ten Hag needs a centre-forward for his system to work to it's potential. It's what he had planned for Ronaldo. And from his comments going into Saturday night, it's what he still has hopes for: "I count on Cristiano Ronaldo for the rest of the season.

"He's sidelined for this game, and then we move on. I'm open to that and to me it's just a warning. Cristiano remains an important part of the squad and I'm counting on him for the rest of the season."

Again, we've said it in past columns, but all of this is down to the player. It was Ronaldo who failed to do a preseason. It was Ronaldo who failed to front up to learn the methods and patterns of Ten Hag's system. That he missed a crucial six weeks of preparation is his fault - and his fault alone. Nothing Ronaldo has offered, from preseason to Wednesday at Old Trafford, suggests a player - nigh a leader - willing to go all in on the United cause. You're either committed or your not. And Ronaldo's reluctance to buy-in has only done himself harm. Just consider how Lisandro Martinez and Antony have immersed themselves at United in contrast to Ronaldo's actions... yet still so many expect Ten Hag to indulge him.

But from this past week, that clearly won't be the case. Yet Ronaldo and his camp cannot say he wasn't warned. Ten Hag did as much after the Rayo Vallecano incident in preseason. Diogo Dalot also being sanctioned for his actions on the day. That the fullback has gone on to not only win over Ten Hag, but end a concerted pursuit of a right-back to replace him again condemns the claims that the manager will write a player off.

Which is how Ten Hag will approach Ronaldo on Monday morning at Carrington. He'll be invited to rejoin senior training. He'll be considered again for selection. Basically all will be forgiven, at least from Ten Hag's end.

Then it's really over to Ronaldo. He can buy in or opt out. But half measures won't do. The crazy thing is, for all the fallout these past few days, the players still love him. The staff enjoy working with him. And his manager accepts he still needs him. It's now a question of whether he wants to fully commit.

Just as it has always been, Cristiano Ronaldo remains in control of his future at Manchester United...