Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy explains Cristiano Ronaldo row

Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed his regret over an argument with Cristiano Ronaldo during their time together at Manchester United.

The striker spent five years at Old Trafford between 2001 and 2006, scoring an impressive 150 goals in 219 appearances for the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed success together but didn't always see eye to eyeCredit: getty images - getty

Van Nistelrooy was the main man at United until Ronaldo headlined a new crop of young players coming in

While joining at a time when stars such as David Beckham, Juan Sebastian Veron and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were key men at the club, his spell saw United transition into a new era with the arrival of young stars including Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

Asked by Gary Neville if he was frustrated, Van Nistelrooy told The Overlap: “I don’t think so. That situation got a bit out of hand. The way we are in a relationship, Cristiano and I, it’s fine now in general but it’s been really blown up.

“It was an argument in training and that’s the story but in the end we figured it out together, we moved on and the relationship is perfect.

“It was a transition moment in the team with younger guys – Rooney came, Ronaldo came as young, promising guys and it needed some time to adjust.

“If I was coaching, I’d also talk to me now to say that ‘this is a transition moment, you need to have patience with these young guys’.

“We didn’t have patience, but it wasn’t only that for me. It was also nearly five years playing in the Premier League, I felt like – I don’t know – the time was coming. I did.”

Ronaldo's influence at United increased, leading to tension on the training groundCredit: AFP

But Van Nistelrooy admits he should have handled the situation better

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