LONDON - Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney urged Cristiano Ronaldo to remain patient and make the most of the opportunities that come his way as the Portugal international looks to work his way back into the Premier League club's first team.

Ronaldo, in his second spell at United, has started only one league game this season and was linked with a move away during the summer transfer window, though manager Erik ten Hag said he still featured in his plans for the season.

Rooney, who played with Ronaldo at United between 2004-2009, said the 37-year-old will be finding his lack of game time hard to swallow.

"The manager's obviously gone a different way in terms of how they're playing and been successful," Rooney, who now manages Major League Soccer side DC United, told reporters on Oct 8.

"Cristiano... him and (Lionel) Messi are two of the greatest players to ever play the game, but ultimately time catches up with us all. 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."

United, who are sixth in the standings with 12 points from seven games, face Everton in a league clash on Oct 9 with ten Hag urging his side to learn from the consistency of Manchester City.

City were on course to match the record margin of victory over their local rivals last weekend before United scored twice late on to only lose 6-3 at the Etihad.

Defeat by the English champions ended a four-game winning streak for ten Hag's men in the Premier League since losing the Dutchman's first two games in charge.

That included impressive wins over Liverpool and Arsenal, but the former Ajax boss wanted his players to reach those levels in every game.

"It's physical, it's mental but it's also sustainability," said ten Hag ahead of the trip to Everton. "When you had a lack of it in the last years, it's not something that you build or progress in a week or a month. It has to be in your system. It's a demand nowadays in top football.

"I think it's quite clear that City is a standard in that and there are more teams, but I think also we can deliver that.

"We have seen it against Liverpool, we have seen it against Arsenal, but now we have to do it on a consistent basis and that is what we have to work for now."

Ten Hag is hopeful that Raphael Varane will recover from an ankle injury picked up in the derby in time for the trip to Goodison Park. But captain Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Donny van de Beek remain out injured. Reuters, AFP