Cristiano Ronaldo And Erik Ten Hag Have Tense Conversation During Rayo Vallecano Game

Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag were caught having a "tense" discussion during Manchester United's pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. A footage captured by a fan has circulated online.

The 37-year-old striker previously revealed his plan to exit Old Trafford due to his desire to play in the Champions League this coming season; however, his future remains uncertain. Ronaldo held "crisis" talks at Carrington on July 26 with his agent Jorge Mendes before officially returning to training after an extended break.

Though he made his first appearance, since May 7, for the club on Sunday during the pre-season game against La Liga outfit Real Vallecano, he did not play around for long. He was replaced by Amad Diallo, who scored United's only goal in the 1-1 draw. Ronaldo reportedly still wants to leave Man Utd.

The Portuguese footballer was seen leaving the stadium before the end of United's 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano after being substituted at half-time. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner seemed to struggle to make an impact on the game. As both teams went for a drinks break in the 33rd minute, United's newly appointed boss Ten Hag appeared to try and give Ronaldo some tactical advice. However, as seen in the footage, Ronaldo responded by defending himself with his arms outstretched. Express reported that he was seen "rolling his eyes" during the tense conversation.

According to ESPN sources, Ten Hag encouraged the squad members who played against Atletico Madrid 24 hours earlier to attend the friendly match against Rayo. "Overall, I am happy, we made a good pre-season," he said. "We make good progress and we're ready for the season, but still I know there is a lot of room for improvement and we have to improve.

"It's also a process that continues during the season, but for next week it's about a result as well. The reception was fantastic. I felt the vibe in the stadium, I felt the vibe they want to send to the team. There has to be co-operation between fans and the team so we get the right emotion and, especially, the right results," Ten Hag added.

Meanwhile, ahead of kick-off, Ten Hag also said that Ronaldo was "not on the level" of his United teammates when it comes to being match fit. "He is definitely not on the level of our current squad, because he missed a lot of weeks. So he needs games and he needs a lot of training."