Cristiano Ronaldo: Man Utd forward cautioned by police for allegedly slapping boy's phone from his hand

Cristiano Ronaldo has been cautioned by police after footage emerged of the Manchester United forward appearing to smash a phone out of an Everton fan's hand following a match at Goodison Park.

Merseyside Police said in a statement: "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.

"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."

A caution is not a criminal conviction, acting more as a formal warning which can be used as evidence of bad character if the person goes to court for another crime in the future.

Officers launched an investigation after a clip was circulated online of Ronaldo appearing to knock the young boy's phone out of his hand as he limped off towards the tunnel.

The fan's mother previously claimed her 14-year-old son Jake Harding was left "bruised" and "in complete shock" by the incident.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo at the time, Sarah Kelly said the teenager is autistic and was "really upset" about what happened, adding it has "completely put him off" going to another game.

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

Following the incident, the Portuguese forward apologised for his "outburst" and invited the supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford "as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship".

"It's never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing," he wrote on Instagram.

"Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game."