"Cristiano is finding it hard to deal with" - Wayne Rooney responds to Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's interview

Former Manchester United forward and club legend Wayne Rooney has responded to Cristiano Ronaldo's latest interview with Piers Morgan.

Ronaldo's explosive interview included several stunning remarks, including calling Wayne Rooney one of the 'rats' who criticized him.

The interview has grabbed the limelight away from the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo accused his current club Manchester United of betraying him and added that he does not have any respect for his manager Erik ten Hag.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner responded to criticism from his former teammates by saying that they do it out of jealousy or for fame. He jokingly added that Rooney might be jealous of him because of his looks.

Replying to Ronaldo's indecent remarks, Rooney kept his response classy. He told CNN (via United Zone):

“He’s a fantastic player. Him and Messi are probably the two best players to play the game. It’s not criticism, what I’ve said is age comes to all of us, Cristiano is finding it hard to deal with that."

He added:

“He’s done a interview and it’s gone global, Bit strange some of the comments but I’m sure MUFC will deal with it once they see the full interview and take whatever action they need to take.”

During the interview, Ronaldo was asked by Morgan:

“More pounds in the bank or more Instagram followers?”

Cristiano Ronaldo replied:

“That’s a good question! Probably similar!”

Morgan then added:

“I’m just trying to work out how Wayne Rooney could hate you even more!”

The Portuguese replied:

“Not only him, imagine the rest of the rats they are going to criticise me too, but it is good to still be the number one.”

What Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney had previously said about Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed the headlines earlier this season during his team's game against Tottenham Hotspur. When asked by the manager to come on as a substitute, Ronaldo ignored Ten Hag's commands and then walked down the tunnel, in a sign of clear disrespect.

Rooney deemed Cristiano Ronaldo's antics as 'not acceptable'. The former Derby County manager told talkPOSRT:

“Him and Messi are arguably the two best players of all-time and you can go either way with that, whatever way you decide. But I just think the things he has done from the start of the season, it is not acceptable for Manchester United. I’ve seen Roy Keane defending him. Roy wouldn’t accept that. Roy wouldn’t accept that at all."

He continued:

“It is a distraction which Manchester United don’t need at the minute, trying to rebuild. For Cristiano, just get your head down and work and be ready to play when the manager needs you. If he does that, he will be an asset. If he doesn’t, it will become an unwanted distraction.”