Wayne Rooney has said that some of Cristiano Ronaldo's behaviour at Manchester United this season has 'not been acceptable'.
Ronaldo is believed to have informed the Red Devils at the start of July of his desire to leave in order to continue playing Champions League football during the 2022-23 campaign.
The 37-year-old was ultimately unable to engineer an exit, and he has found it difficult to show his best form at club level this term, managing just three goals in 16 appearances in all competitions.
Ronaldo has struck just once in the Premier League this term, and he hit the headlines when he was suspended by the club for the clash with Chelsea on October 22 after refusing to enter the field as a late substitute against Tottenham Hotspur three days earlier.
Rooney enjoyed huge success alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford, but the now DC United head coach has claimed that his former teammate is in danger of becoming "an unwanted distraction".
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Ex-Man United captain Roy Keane is among Ronaldo's former teammates to have supported the Portuguese this season, but Rooney has said that the 51-year-old would not have accepted some of the forward's behaviour during his time at the club.
"The career he's had, there's him and [Lionel] Messi as arguably the two best players of all time and you can go either way with that, but I just think the things he's done from the start of the season really, it's not acceptable for Manchester United," Rooney told talkSPORT.
"I've seen Roy Keane defending him. Roy wouldn't accept that. Roy wouldn't accept that at all. It is a distraction which Manchester United don't need at the minute, trying to rebuild.
"For Cristiano, just get your head down and work and be ready to play when the manager needs you. If he does that, he will be an asset. If he doesn't, it will become an unwanted distraction."
Ronaldo was missing against Aston Villa in the EFL Cup on Thursday night through illness, but he could be back in the fold against Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
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Rooney also praised Erik ten Hag for his work since arriving as head coach, with Man United's all-time leading goalscorer believing that the Dutchman is "the right man for the job".
"I think Ten Hag has done really well," he added. "He's come in and stamped his authority on the team, and for the first time in about two or three years I'm starting to see an identity with Manchester United which I haven't seen in the last two or three years.
"He's shown his strength and his character with how he dealt with Cristiano [Ronaldo] at times with the stuff he's been up to.
"He's the right man for the job. I think it will take time but it's a real step in the right direction to finish in that top four and get Champions League football again."
Man United will enter Sunday's game with Fulham, which will be their last fixture before the campaign breaks for the World Cup, off the back of a 4-2 success over Villa in the League Cup.
Matt Law
