Manchester United’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has urged former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo to remain patient because chances will come his way.
Ronaldo, in his second spell at Manchester United, is facing the reality that he is not the player he once was. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has only started one league game this season and was strongly linked with a move away during the summer.
However, the manager has stressed over time that the 37-year-old is part of his plans, but Ronaldo no longer has a key role at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag.
“The manager’s obviously gone a different way in terms of how they’re playing and been successful,” Rooney told reporters on Friday, as quoted by Reuters.
“Cristiano… him and [Lionel] Messi are two of the greatest players to ever play the game, but ultimately time catches up with us all. He’s obviously not the player he was when he was 22 or 23, for instance. It’s a tough one for him.
“Knowing him, it’ll be very difficult for him to sit on the bench… I’m sure if he stays patient, his chance will come and, again, it’s then obviously him taking those chances and trying to score his way back in.”
Rooney, who played with Ronaldo between 2004-2009, said the Portuguese veteran will be finding his lack of game hard to digest.
United take on Everton in the Premier League on Sunday and it doesn’t look like Ronaldo will be in the starting line-up.
Ten Hag has opted to play Marcus Rashford instead of Ronaldo, but Anthony Martial’s return from injury is likely to mean more changes for the team.
Let us know in the comments section if you would start Ronaldo against Everton?
