Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted at Manchester United succession plan - but it can't happen

“If Ten Hag listens to Ruud, maybe he can," said Cristiano Ronaldo on a podcast this week.

Ronaldo was asked if Van Nistelrooy can help United and added: "I think it can help a lot because he knows the club and the club should listen to the guys who were there.

"You Rio [Ferdinand] or Roy Keane or Paul Scholes or Gary Neville, whatever, Sir Alex Ferguson. You cannot, you cannot rebuild a club without knowledge. Not guys who work in office. They understand. I understand a lot of football because I see football in the television every day.

"No, this is not, doesn't work like that. The people who understand the football, it was, 99% is the people who was there in the dressing room, who was player, who was the most successful coaches in the world. Guardiola, Ferguson, they was player before and in the dressing room.

ALSO READ: How United beat City and Chelsea to sign Casemiro replacement

ALSO READ: Mount made behind-the-scenes gesture before injury setback

"So I believe that Ruud is going to help because he was inside the club. He knows the club. He knows the fans. If the coach listens to him, I think they can improve a little bit the club.”

Ronaldo isn't the first to make such a comment about the importance of having people who are 'proper United' still working at the club and other legends share that view.

There's been a lot of coverage of Van Nistelrooy's appointment as first-team coach at United and supporters were excited to see the former striker return in a coaching capacity.

There's also been a popular theory mooted that Van Nistelrooy will take over on an interim basis should Erik ten Hag be axed this season. United have just three points from three games and the Dutchman must oversee a dramatic