Jaap Stam believes Manchester United need to make a decision on Cristiano Ronaldo's future quickly or risk upsetting the rest of the squad.
It's believed the veteran forward, 37, wants to leave Old Trafford this summer to play Champions League football. He has one year left on his contract and Atletico Madrid are reportedly interested in signing him, although their president has suggested otherwise.
Ronaldo missed United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia for 'personal reasons' and did not report back for duty until Tuesday morning. He was pictured entering United's Carrington training ground with his agent Jorge Mendes for showdown talks.
Ronaldo is part of Erik ten Hag's plans and his exit could force the new manager to act in the transfer market. Anthony Martial played in Ronaldo's No.9 position during pre-season and could start the Premier League campaign in that role if the transfer saga isn't settled.
Yet United legend Stam, who was part of the Treble-winning team 23 years ago, has urged Ten Hag to settle the squabble as soon as possible. He's concerned the saga could upset other members of the squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
"You don't want to have too much confusion within the squad straightaway, especially when you're starting as a new manager," Stam told Genting Casino. "You're working with one of the best players in the world. He's been doing very well, last season scoring a lot of goals.
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"I was hoping that Ronaldo was going to stay because I think he could be very important for the club. I think Ronaldo is still one of the best players at United. Even when he's not scoring, he's always making the opposition aware of him and they always need to pay him a lot of attention which creates opportunities and space for other players."
Ronaldo was United's top scorer last season with 24 goals in all competitions, but they struggled to compete. The Red Devils finished sixth in the Premier League - recording their lowest points tally (58) in 32 years - and haven't won a trophy since May 2017.
Stam added: "I assume that Ten Hag spoke with him about the new season. I don't know exactly what happened, but it looks like Ronaldo wants to make a move and play somewhere else next season, which I think is a shame.
"If the player has said that he wants to leave, although it's very tough for the manager and for the club and especially for the fans, then the situation doesn't need to drag on that long. United need to make a decision as a club and find a way to deal with his departure.
"The manager needs to build his squad and understand who he will be working with. United don’t want to be in a situation where they have been using other players up front, and those players that have been performing are all of a sudden dropped because Ronaldo didn't get his move and he needs to play.
"You then have a situation where a player that has been agitating for a move all summer, who hasn't featured in preseason or trained starting games, and that will create problems in the United squad. Eventually you need to make a decision."
