Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has urged Red Devils outcast Cristiano Ronaldo to remain patient for opportunities at the club.
The 37-year-old has struggled for consistent game time since Erik ten Hag's arrival at Old Trafford, having expressed his desire to exit this summer.
Despite residing on the bench during Manchester United's four-match winning run against Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal, Ronaldo has had sporadic opportunities to impress in the Europa League.
The ex-Real Madrid superstar started during United's shaky 3-2 win against Omonia on Thursday, yet failed once again to make the scoresheet.
Rooney, who played with Ronaldo at United between 2004-2009, admitted his former team-mate will be struggling with his lack of minutes.
'The manager's obviously gone a different way in terms of how they're playing and been successful,' the DC United manager told reporters on Friday.
'Cristiano ... him and (Lionel) Messi are two of the greatest players to ever play the game, but ultimately time catches up with us all.
'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.'
The Red Devils sit sixth in the league on 12 points ahead of Sunday's clash with Everton at Goodison Park.