Wayne Rooney has been left 'bemused' by the criticism directed at him by former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, according to a report.
In an explosive interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV, Ronaldo has launched an extraordinary attack on the Red Devils and has heavily criticised manager Erik ten Hag, the Glazer family and several board members as well as ex-teammates such as Rooney and Gary Neville.
Last weekend, Rooney criticised Ronaldo's behaviour this season and warned the five-time Ballon d'Or winner that he is at risk of becoming an "unwanted distraction" at Old Trafford.
"The career he's had, there's him and [Lionel] Messi as arguably the two best players of all time and you can go either way with that, but I just think the things he's done from the start of the season really, it's not acceptable for Manchester United," Rooney told talkSPORT.
"I've seen Roy Keane defending him. Roy wouldn't accept that. Roy wouldn't accept that at all. 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."
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Ronaldo has since responded to Rooney's comments, telling TalkTV: "I don't understand, you should ask this question to him. I don't know why he criticised me so bad."
Asked by Morgan if it could be jealously sparking Rooney's criticism, Ronaldo added: "Probably, because he finished his career in his 30s. I'm still playing at a high level, I'm not going to say that I'm looking better than him, which is true. It's hard to listen to that kind of criticism and negativity from people who played with you, for example Gary Neville as well.
"People can have their own opinion but they don't really know what's going on inside the training ground at Carrington or even my life. They should listen to not only one point of view, they have to listen to my point of view as well. It's easy to criticise but if you don't know the whole story, it's easy.
"They are not my friends. It's easy to criticise, I don't know if they have a job in television that they must criticise to be more famous. I really don't understand it.
"I think they take advantage of [my name] because they are not stupid. I have to carry on my life with criticism. It's hard when you see people who were in the dressing room with you criticise in that way. I'm not going to sleep badly because of the criticism but it's not good to listen to that."
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According to Sky Sports News, Rooney is 'bemused' by Ronaldo's response, but he has opted not to make a public statement on the matter.
The report adds that Man United and England's all-time leading goalscorer, who is currently in charge of MLS outfit DC United, feels no animosity towards Ronaldo.
Rooney, who was born eight months after Ronaldo in 1985, spent five years as a teammate with the Portuguese forward at Man United, winning a total of 10 trophies together including three Premier League titles and one Champions League.
The England legend retired from football in January 2021 when he took the permanent managerial role at Derby County, seven months before Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford for his second spell at the club.
Ronaldo, who claims he feels "betrayed" by Man United and insists he does not "have respect" for Ten Hag, has endured a frustrating 2022-23 campaign under the Dutchman, starting only four Premier League games and scoring just once.
Man United issued a statement on Monday after snippets of Ronaldo's interview were first released, and the Red Devils "will consider its response after the full facts have been established".
Oliver Thomas
