Cristiano Ronaldo is already shaping possible Man United transfer for Erik ten Hag starring role

Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to be at the top of Erik ten Hag's Christmas card list any time soon.

The way his second Manchester United spell ended was entirely down to Ronaldo's actions, and Ten Hag was right to pull rank and expel the Portuguese great from the club. Whether the Dutchman had treated the multiple-time Balon d'Or winner correctly prior to the infamous interview is up for debate, though.

However, one trait that Ten Hag will have admiration for is Ronaldo's work ethic. The forward turns 40 in February, and yet his dedication to fitness and training remains at its peak.

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That's why Ten Hag may be willing to thank Ronaldo if he manages to influence Joao Neves during his time with Portugal at Euro 2024. The teenage midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford and has only just broken into the national team.

When he was introduced to the first team in October last year, Ronaldo made an effort to go out of his way and welcome the youngster to the camp. He even joked when Neves said he was born in September 2004, a few months after Ronaldo made his Euros bow.

But it is more than just Ronaldo being friendly, which could help form Neves into a player who can take the Premier League by storm. "He always tries to give young players a lot of help," Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez told The Times in December.

"Nobody can help a young player better than a teammate that’s got more than 200 games for the national team. Joao Neves is becoming the biggest hope for Benfica.

"I think the young players are in awe of Cristiano but when they start working with him it’s respect and then it’s just very competitive. The generation of Cristiano and [the defender] Pepe, 40, set the standards of how the work should be done for a young player. It’s gold.

"Cristiano is obsessed about being the best, obsessed about winning, and that’s what a coach wants. He’s obsessed with what he can do to get himself ready to help the team.

"He goes about finding every small detail to allow his body to be at its best, from nutrition to pre-work before training, after training, the way he looks after the muscles. He’s always talking to anyone with expertise around the group like doctors to find out more that can make him even better."

We are not suggesting that Neves will become a Ronaldo clone because he is spending time in the company of the former United man, but witnessing what it takes to be the best will only help the teenager to stay on the straight and narrow. At his age, influences outside of football can start to become tempting.

But with a mentor in the Portugal camp like Ronaldo, Neves should find himself doing more right than wrong. It should also reassure Sir Jim Ratcliffe that the amount of money needed to bring him to United is justified.