Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag should do what his predecessor Ralf Rangnick didn't and listen to Zinedine Zidane's advice on Cristiano Ronaldo.
Zidane coached Ronaldo while he was at the helm of Real Madrid and the pair enjoyed a stellar working relationship. During their shared time together in the Spanish capital, the duo won one La Liga title alongside three consecutive Champions League crowns.
The iconic Portuguese skipper is now back at Old Trafford after leaving Real Madrid in 2018 with a three-year spell at Juventus in between. At 37 years of age, Ronaldo is still an incredible athlete but has shown signs of struggling to cope with the demand he would have once taken in his stride.
He was forced to sit out fixtures towards the tail-end of last term due to a persistent hip flexor strain as many claimed Rangnick was guilty of over-playing Ronaldo in games where he wasn't needed. This is something Zidane was always cautious of while in charge of Los Blancos.
Speaking after a La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid four years ago, Zidane explained: "Cristiano is Cristiano, he has been this player all his life, scoring 50 goals a season. It is true that there is nobody else who does that.
"But others can score, have done recently, and we must think about the positives. It's better to have Cristiano with us. It was just (to rest him). We have many games, that's it. Sometimes he needs to rest. These days he needs that. He feels better every day, you can see it."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Ten Hag call upon Ronaldo every game next season? Comment below
Zindane's choice of wording - "these days" is clearly a not-so-subtle reference to the fact that despite his goal-scoring heroics and amazing physique, Ronaldo is ageing. Ten Hag could hasten the forward's end if he selects him for every fixture moving forward.
With that in mind, there is every chance Ronaldo does not take his potential omission from certain squads well. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's mere presence caused friction last term, most notably when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dropped him from a home game against Everton.
United went on to drop points with a 1-1 draw and after the game club icon Sir Alex Ferguson was caught on camera insisting you should always start your best players.
Months later, Ronaldo had a rather public temper tantrum after Rangnick dared to withdraw him from the game away at Brentford at a stage when United were already winning. Some fear that Ten Hag will not put up with such attitude, but the early signs between the two are promising.
The Dutchman has already praised Ronaldo's ability and described him as a "giant" of the game, while the player has returned the compliment and insisted he is excited to work with the former Ajax manager.
Only time will tell, but Ronaldo may need to soon acknowledge that if he wants to remain in the manager's good-books - there are times where he'll be with Ten Hag in the dug-out rather than out on the Old Trafford turf.
