Ronaldo launches tantrum at Ferguson

London, May 11 (ANI): Manchester United star striker Cristiano Ronaldo pushed Manchester United to the brink of the title, but then blew his top with manager Alex Ferguson.

Shocked TV viewers saw him throw a tantrum after being hauled off an hour into this easy derby win over Manchester City.

Ronaldo angrily pushed away a tracksuit held out to him and, as he sat on the bench, called the decision "a joke".

Yet boss Fergie backed the player's reaction.

The Sun quoted him as saying: "He wanted to stay on. He's in great form but I have to look at the big picture. We have to think about keeping him as fresh as we can. It's fabulous that they want to play. Of course he wants to play, you know what he's like. He's such a great athlete but he ran his socks off on Tuesday."

"I've got Wednesday night at Wigan and Saturday against Arsenal to think about. So there was no problem. Wednesday will be a hard game. I'll freshen it up again. We'll make two or three changes. I need to do that because I've a big squad and I need to keep them playing," he added.

Ronaldo's tantrum reignited talk of the 26-goal ace moving from Old Trafford to long-term suitors Real Madrid, who are mulling over another bid this summer. (ANI)