Manchester United made the right decision to keep veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, according to former midfielder Paul Ince.
The 37-year-old expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford in the summer in search of Champions League football. However, despite a number of clubs showing interest in the forward, a move failed to materialise and Ronaldo has remained part of Erik ten Hag's first-team squad.
Ronaldo has registered one goal in eight appearances so far this term. However, he has only started on three occasions and has been utilised as an impact substitute in the past month. He has played 378 minutes this season for United, but could be set to feature against Manchester City in the derby on Sunday, with Marcus Rashford a fitness doubt.
A number of former players and pundits have previously suggested that United should have sold Ronaldo in the summer transfer window, but Ince believes that the Real Madrid legend 'has an influence on the pitch', despite his lack of minutes.
When asked if the Reds made a mistake by keeping the veteran forward at Old Trafford, the current Reading boss issued a defiant response. "Ronaldo is a serial winner and one of the greatest players ever to play football. He undoubtedly has an influence on the pitch," Ince told FairBettingSites.
"It is easy to forget last year he got 18 goals. Without those goals, where would United have been?
"Those types of players don’t come along very easily. I understand he wants to play football, I get that, and he will get games. I think he just has to be patient and his time will come – it is important to keep your best players and Ronaldo is definitely a world class player, even at his age."
Ronaldo was criticised for his personal performance in Portugal's Nations League defeat to Spain on Tuesday night, with critics in his homeland targeting the United man for his showing in the match, with some suggesting that he should be dropped.
With the World Cup in Qatar starting in November, the 37-year-old will be keen to increase his minutes with United prior to the start of the tournament.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com