Footage of Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo joking with Erik ten Hag on training pitch emerges ahead of Europa League game against Sheriff

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been filmed joking with manager Erik ten Hag ahead of the Red Devils' UEFA Europa League clash with FC Sheriff.

A lot has been said about Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United in recent months. He was keen to join a Champions League club in the summer, but eventually stayed put.

The 37-year-old, though, has found playing time hard to come by at Old Trafford under new manager Ten Hag. He has clocked just 297 minutes of action across all competitions so far this season.

Ronaldo has only been handed two starts for the Red Devils by Ten Hag this campaign. He played the full 90 minutes against Brentford in the Premier League and Real Sociedad in the Europa League, but suffered defeats on both occasions.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has thus far found his time under the Dutch tactician frustrating. Despite that, the player-manager duo appear to be on good terms and in high spirits.

Ronaldo and Ten Hag have been caught having a moment on the training pitch ahead of Manchester United's Europa League match against Sheriff. English daily The Sun shared footage of the two sharing a joke on their Twitter handle:

The Premier League giants are scheduled to lock horns with Moldovan outfit Sheriff in their second Europa League match on Thursday (September 15). Ronaldo is expected to feature in the match.

However, it remains to be seen if the Portuguese icon will be in the Red Devils' starting XI to face Sheriff. He may be forced to drop back to the bench after struggling to make an impact against Real Sociedad last week.

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How has Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United fared this term?

Manchester United made a poor start to life under Ten Hag earlier this season. They suffered embarrassing defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford in their first two matches of the campaign.

However, the Red Devils bounced back from those defeats in style by beating arch-rivals Liverpool. They have since won each of their three games in the Premier League and currently sit fifth in the table with 12 points.

Real Sociedad put an end to the Old Trafford outfit's four-game winning run last week. Ten Hag and Co. will now be looking to return to winning ways when they face Sheriff on Thursday.

Cristiano Ronaldo has made seven appearances across all competitions for the English giants this term. However, he is yet to register a goal or assist.