Wayne Rooney warns Cristiano Ronaldo: 'Time catches up with all of us'

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Wayne Rooney warns Cristiano Ronaldo: 'Time catches up with all of us'

Wayne Rooney has delivered a stark warning to former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo as his glittering career finally seems to be coming towards an end.

Ronaldo, who turns 38 in February, has been forced to wait for a chance on the bench in recent weeks, starting only once in the Premier League this season and remaining an unused substitute in last weekend’s Manchester derby defeat.

It has been a sharp deterioration for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner after he scored 24 times in all competitions as an automatic starter just last season.

Rooney and Ronaldo first played together as teenagers in 2004 and their on-field relationship was central to United going on to win back-to-back-to-back Premier League titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009, as well as conquering Europe with Champions League glory in 2008.

Ronaldo, who has played 1,315 career games and scored 816 career goals, wanted to leave United in the summer and is now finding it hard to impress new boss Erik ten Hag.

“The manager's obviously gone a different way in terms of how they're playing and been successful. Cristiano...him and [Lionel] Messi are two of the greatest players to ever play the game, but ultimately time catches up with us all,” Rooney told MLS reporters in the United States.

“He's obviously not the player he was when he was 22 or 23, for instance. It's a tough one for him. Knowing him, it'll be very difficult for him to sit on the bench.

“I'm sure if he stays patient, his chance will come and, again, it's then obviously him taking those chances and trying to force his way back in.”