Neville: "If Ronaldo doesn't play, he feels it's an insult"

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford during the previous transfer window, with clubs such as

and Chelsea among those mentioned. However, a deal was never finalised before the window closed.

Since then,

has had to settle for a supporting role in

Erik ten Hag

's plans, seeing significant bench time. However, Neville insists that Ronaldo's 37 years of age should not be taken as an "insult," and that he can still play an important role for the Red Devils for the rest of the 2022-23 season.

Neville, former United defender, said in The Mirror, “What I would hope is that, like with any other player coming towards the end of his career, he'll accept that he won't play every single game and he'll stay and become a massive contributor like he was on Sunday night [in a 2-1 win over Everton] and United will have a good season."

"If Ronaldo stays I do think they have a far better chance of being a top-four team, even if he doesn't play every week and he comes off the bench like he did against Everton. But I suspect his mentality, his psyche is such that he can't not play. He feels it's an insult and people I respect enormously in the game think he's being disrespected by being on the bench, but I don't see that at all. I think Erik ten Hag has come out of this really well."

"For me, I hope he can somehow think, 'Where am I going to play where the fans love me as much, where there are still trophies on the table? We can achieve stuff.' Where is he going to play in Europe? In the summer, no one wanted him in the transfer window. I think United have played it pretty well, this one.”

Despite his remarkable career, Ronaldo has only scored twice this season, but one of them was his first in the Europa League and the other brought him to 700 goals for his club. Twenty years and two days after his first club goal, Ronaldo scored his 700th. With 144 goals for

, 450 for

Real Madrid

, 101 for

Juventus

, and 5 for Sporting CP, the Portuguese striker has a prolific career.

The Portugal international, eagerly awaiting his team's return to the World Cup, has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Old Trafford and will become a free agent in the summer of 2019.

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