Meet Ronaldo's best friend at United and it is not who you think

Manchester United star man Cristiano Ronaldo has been dominating the media space since his declared desire to leave United last summer but a move away failed to materialize as he was denied the opportunity by the board. New manager Erik Ten Hag also publicly reiterated his desire for Ronaldo to stay and announced him as a key part of his plans at Old Trafford.

As expected many were keen to watch how United would handle the situation regarding Ronaldo after they denied him a rumored switch to the blue half of London. A disgruntled Ronaldo was unhappy that he wouldn't be playing in his beloved UEFA Champions League in the first season under the dutch manager despite his 24 goals and contributions to their cause.

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A consistent run of bench appearances under Ten Hag further fueled Ronaldo's displeasure as remained bemused as to why he was subjected to a peripheral appearance under his new manager. The more he spent time warming the bench became tougher for the 37-year-old who desires to still compete at the highest level all his career.

The pair's relationship reached a boiling point in United's win over Tottenham, which was almost overshadowed, by an incident in which Ronaldo refused to come on as a late sub in the game much to Ten Hag's displeasure. Ronaldo was subsequently punished for his misconduct by the club with a one-game suspension that saw his return to first-team training after missing the Chelsea game.

WHAT IS THE NEW RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS BETWEEN THE PAIR?

Well, since his suspension and return to training, Erik Ten Hag and Ronaldo have become inseparable as the Portuguese captain has now started three matches in a role as United's number nine ahead of previously preferred Marcus Rashford. With one goal and an assist from his recent games, Ten Hag is expected to start him up front on Sunday against Aston Villa and will be hoping he gets a goal or two.