Raphael Varane explains why Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo isn't starting under Erik ten Hag

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has explained why he believes Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t currently a regular starter under Erik ten Hag.

Ronaldo expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford in the summer in search of Champions League football, however, the 37-year-old failed to secure a move away from the club.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner remained a United player following the closure of the transfer window, but has struggled to break into the Reds' starting line-up so far this campaign.

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The Portuguese international, who has been linked with a move to several European clubs in the past month, started for Ten Hag's men in the 4-0 thrashing at Brentford in August. However, he has found himself amongst the substitutes in recent weeks with a much-improved United side recording four successive wins in the Premier League.

Ronaldo's second start came into the Europa League defeat to Real Sociedad last week, with the former Real Madrid man playing the full 90 minutes at Old Trafford.

Despite being the club's top goalscorer last term with 24 goals across all competitions, Ronaldo finds himself on the periphery of Ten Hag's plans.

Varane, who won four Champions League titles alongside Ronaldo during their time together at Madrid, believes that the veteran forward is paying the price for missing pre-season.

Ronaldo missed United’s pre-season tour - with family reasons cited as the reason for his absence - and France international Varane believes that the striker is now playing catch-up.

Speaking in an interview with TCL Global, he said: "As we said, Ronaldo is here. And, as we all know, he didn’t have a pre-season. You cannot miss pre-season. It’s a