Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has apologised for an “outburst” which appeared to see him slap a young fan’s phone to the ground after his side’s defeat to Everton.

Footage shared by @EvertonHub on Twitter shows Ronaldo throwing his right hand towards the ground as he left the Goodison Park pitch, and what appears to be a phone bouncing out of a spectator’s hand and on to the floor.

The fan’s mother has claimed he was left “bruised” by the incident, which left the youngster “in complete shock”.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Sarah Kelly said her 14-year-old son Jake Harding is autistic and “didn’t really digest what was happening” until he got home.

“He’s really upset about it, and it’s completely put him off going to the game again,” she told the paper. “This is the first football game he’s been to and this has happened.”

Jake, she said, wasn’t waving his phone in Ronaldo’s face – and it was down by the floor when the Portuguese striker moved towards it.

She also shared an image of her son’s hand with the newspaper, in which it appeared red and bruised.

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Ronaldo: ‘It’s never easy to deal with emotions’

Ronaldo apologised for the incident on Instagram and invited the fan to a match at Old Trafford.

“It’s never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing,” he 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 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.”

United are aware of the footage, which has been widely shared on social media, and the club said on Saturday afternoon they were looking into the incident.

Merseyside Police said they were liaising with both teams following the incident, and inquiries are under way.

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