“It’s disturbing, that’s for sure” – Mikael Silvestre offers honest opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga at Manchester United

Mikael Silvestre has offered his take on Cristiano Ronaldo's situation at Manchester United. He admitted that it's disturbing but suggested that we need to wait for the situation to clear out.

The 37-year-old forward is seeking a move away from Old Trafford this summer in pursuit of Champions League football (via The Guardian).

The legendary Portuguese attacker's Manchester United future looks bleak. However, former French international Silvestre believes we should "wait and see" what happens. However, he did concede that the saga is becoming an unwanted distraction for his old club.

The pundit, who played 361 times for the Red Devils across nine seasons, told Bettingexpert:

“It’s distributing, that’s for sure. You can’t deny it. The question is: how is the team dealing with it, and how the staff are dealing with it. The answer to these questions will come soon."

He added:

“It’s important to keep calm. In football more than any other business, we should use the phrase, ‘wait and see’. That’s it, sit tight and see what happens.”

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was the club's highest goalscorer last season, after joining from Juventus. He scored 24 goals in 38 matches but failed to take United into the Premier League's top four or any trophy.

Erik ten Hag insists he is "really happy" that Cristiano Ronaldo is still at Manchester United

The Red Devils' 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano in a friendly was Ronaldo's first game of the pre-season. He missed the club's tour of Thailand and Australia.

The Portugal captain played in the first-half before being hooked at the break. There are concerns that the veteran attacker may not be able to fit into Ten Hag's high-pressing system.

However, ahead of his team's Premier League opener against Brighton on Sunday, the Dutch boss claimed that Ronaldo is still a "top striker."

Ten Hag told a press-conference (as quoted by The Mail):

"I'm satisfied with the whole team, we're working good, we have a top striker. I'm really happy he's here with the squad and we stick to the plan."

Anthony Martial was Ten Hag's first-choice centre-forward during pre-season and has looked sharp. Unfortunately, there are doubts over the Frenchman's fitness heading into the Brighton clash.

The 52-year-old manager was also asked if he would be willing to throw Ronaldo into the starting lineup if Martial's fitness wasn't up to standard. He replied:

"We will see Sunday. I think we will have solutions to sort it out."

Paul Merson has predicted all the GW 1 fixtures of the Premier League. More details right here