Wayne Rooney accuses Cristiano Ronaldo of 'unacceptable' behaviour at Man Utd

Wayne Rooney has accused former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo of becoming a ‘distraction’ for the club this season because of his ‘unacceptable’ behaviour in recent months.

Having made a sensational return to Old Trafford at the start of last season, Ronaldo had asked to leave United during the summer after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League.

No suitable offers were forthcoming, with Sporting CP among the last clubs to explore a potential deal in the final days of the summer transfer window.

Ronaldo, who turns 38 in February, has fallen out of favour with United boss Erik ten Hag this season and has often had to make do with substitute or Europa League appearances.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has scored only once in 10 Premier League outings, has clearly grown frustrated with his changing status. Against Tottenham, he got up off the bench and walked down the tunnel before the game had finished, with Ten Hag later confirming he refused to come on.

Rooney and Ronaldo played together for five years until the latter’s world record departure to Real Madrid in 2009, marking one of the club’s most concentrated periods of success.

But Ronaldo walked back into a different club in 2021 and things haven’t turned out as hoped, while Rooney has also accused former United skipper Roy Keane of hypocrisy over the situation.

“The things he has done from the start of the season, it is not acceptable for Manchester United. I’ve seen Roy Keane defending him. Roy wouldn’t accept that. Roy wouldn’t accept that at all,” Rooney explained during an appearance on talkSPORT.

“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.”