Wayne Rooney has asked Cristiano Ronaldo to stay patient for his chances amid the Portuguese’s on-field struggles.
Ronaldo has had a far-from-ideal start to the 22/23 season. The 37-year-old has seemingly lost his place in the Manchester United starting XI.
The Portugal international has so far featured in nine matches for Man Utd this season. But only four of those have been as a starter. The rest were appearances off the bench.
Of the four starts he has made this season, only one came in the Premier League. He started for Man Utd in their 4-0 defeat to Brentford in their second match of the season. Ronaldo was also left as an unused substitute when Man Utd faced Manchester City in their previous Premier League match.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not the player he once was, says Wayne Rooney
Ronaldo has also struggled to deliver the goods this season. Despite 207 minutes of game time in the Premier League across six matches, Ronaldo remains goalless in the English top flight this season.
He has only scored one goal for the Red Devils so far this season. That came in their 2-0 win over FC Sheriff, with the star striker converting a penalty.
Rooney, who is a former teammate of Ronaldo, has asked the Man Utd no.7 to stay patient for his chances. He also reminded me that time catches up with everyone and that Ronaldo is not the same player he once was.
“Cristiano… him and Messi are two of the greatest players to ever play the game, but ultimately time catches up with us all,” Rooney told reporters.
He added: “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 force his way back in.”
Ronaldo was linked with a move away from Man Utd in the summer transfer window. Reports said that Ronaldo had asked Man Utd to allow him to leave should they receive a suitable offer.
Despite Ronaldo’s desire to leave Man Utd, the move never materialized. Interest in the Portuguese was few and far between. Man Utd had also insisted at that time Ronaldo was not for sale.
But recent reports have said that Man Utd will allow Ronaldo to leave the club in the January transfer window.
