Gary Neville sends warning to Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Manchester United appointing new manager

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has warned that Cristiano Ronaldo must change his personal game or risk losing his status as a regular starter under the club's next manager.

The 37-year-old, who returned to Old Trafford from Juventus last August, provided proof that he is still capable of performing at the highest level after scoring a hat-trick in last Saturday's 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur. He was criticised for travelling abroad after being ruled out of the Manchester derby through injury, but hit back at his critics in the best possible manner.

Ronaldo's treble moved him onto 18 goals for the season in all competitions, as well as 12 in the Premier League, meaning only Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota have scored more in the league than him this season. However, he has been regularly criticised, with some pundits suggesting, bizarrely, that he has been the cause of the Reds' troubles this term.

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Out of contract in the summer of 2023, though the club hold an option of an additional year, Ronaldo's future has been a hot topic in recent weeks. However, if he does remain at Old Trafford this summer, Neville has suggested that the Portugal international will have to tweak his own game to remain a regular starter under United's new permanent manager.

"I'm unsure, it depends who the manager is and what the project is for the new manager," Neville, assessing Ronaldo's future, said, as quoted by the Mail. "Does he want to build a young squad that's athletic and progressive?

"Ronaldo can play in that – but if he wants to play every single week, which would seem to be the case, then it may be that