"It doesn't bother me" - Solskjaer responds to Sir Alex Ferguson's criticism regarding Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left Cristiano Ronaldo out of the starting line-up during their 1-1 Premier League draw with Everton. The decision was criticized by many, including former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Solskjaer has now come out to defend himself, reminding the great Sir Alex that he didn't always play the same XI during his time in the dugout.

"I'm quite relaxed about it. I disagreed with the gaffer quite a few times and I told my wife quite a few times that I disagreed with him, but that never made headlines as a player.

"I'm sure Sir Alex knows that it doesn't bother me. We all want to see Cristiano Ronaldo. We all want to, because he's unique, he's different, he's had a career and everyone wants to come and watch him. But the plain fact of it is he cannot play every single game that we play, that's just physical nature, human nature.

"He knows how difficult this job is anyway, the gaffer. He didn't always play the same 11. He took some risks at times to rest Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney or David Beckham, the best players that we had. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't," the Norwegian said in response to the former Manchester United manager's criticism of his decision involving Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's numbers for Manchester United this season

Crsitiano Ronaldo wasn't happy with Solskjaer's decision either

Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the headlines when he left Juventus to seal a return to Manchester United during the summer transfer window. The attacker arrived with much fanfare, bagging a lucrative two-year contract that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2023.

The Portuguese has wasted no time in making his impact felt at Old Trafford. So far, he's made six appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions, and has five goals to his name.

Thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United can now aim for silverware this season. The Red Devils currently rank fourth in the Premier League with 14 points, just two points behind first-placed Chelsea. They've also kept their Champions League knockout phase qualification hopes intact after beating Villareal 2-1 last time out.