"Man Utd are not going to win anything with him in the team" - Paul Merson makes Cristiano Ronaldo claim about Manchester United

Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson has claimed that Manchester United will fail to win silverware under new head coach Erik ten Hag with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad.

Ronaldo, 37, has recently been reduced to appearances off the bench in the ongoing campaign. Earlier this summer, the veteran striker failed to engineer a move away from Old Trafford in order to pursue UEFA Champions League action at another club.

Under Ten Hag, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has started just three matches, with only one coming in the Premier League. He has netted just once, from the penalty spot in his team's 2-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League, in eight appearances.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Merson said that the Red Devils will extend their trophyless run with the Portuguese in the team. He said:

"The hardest part is when you have to be critical of one of the best players who's ever played football. Ronaldo was a 100 times better player than me and I've got to say Man United are not going to win anything with him in the team."

He also revealed that he received death threats on social media after claiming that Manchester United would not win the Premier League with Anthony Martial as their main striker. He added:

"Someone put a message out saying, 'I'm going to kill you, your kids'. I don't need that. I'm just doing my job."

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford has established himself as the main man upfront with five goal contributions in six Premier League matches this season. Ronaldo, on the other hand, is considered to be a vital presence in the dressing room due to his vast experience.

After arriving from Juventus for an initial fee of £13 million last summer, he top-scored with 24 goals in 38 matches for the Red Devils last term.

Manchester United will next take on city rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday, October 2.

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo could consider move outside Europe, says pundit

Speaking to Football Insider, former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor shared his thoughts about Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo's situation at his current club. He said:

"[He] must be very angry at the moment at the fact he's not starting games. It might come to the stage where in January and looks at the situation and thinks 'You know what, maybe my time at the highest level is over'."

He added:

"He's coming to the stage where he looks at it and thinks, 'Maybe I do go to America or Saudi Arabia or China'. Maybe it's the time when he looks at those options."