“Most influential athlete that has ever lived” – Twitter salutes Cristiano Ronaldo as he brings out new ‘ice cold’ celebration after scoring on his return to the Manchester United line-up 

Manchester United supporters have shown their love for Cristiano Ronaldo after he scored in the Europa League on Thursday and brought out his new celebration.

The 37-year-old started the clash against FC Sheriff just a week after he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur, as he stormed down the tunnel before full-time.

However, Ronaldo was brought back into the fold for the European encounter at Old Trafford, scoring just his third goal of the season and his first at home. The Portugal star saw his header brilliantly saved before he hammered home the rebound to seal a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Manchester United now face a crucial clash away at Real Sociedad next week to decide who will win the group, but it was CR7 who once again stole the headlines.

Twitter seemed incredibly impressed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner did not use his trademark 'siu' celebration, but instead tried something different.

The striker ran to the corner flag before standing perfectly still with his hands locked across his chest and with his eyes closed, as if he were enjoying a relaxing evening at home. Naturally, the celebration instantly caught fire online, as Twitter exploded into life to heap praise on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner:

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Erik ten Hag 'confident there will be more goals' from Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United

The Portuguese superstar has endured a difficult season so far after making it clear he wanted to leave Manchester United in the summer. After the game, Ten Hag was clearly delighted for the striker, but noted that he 'needed a goal' for his confidence.

The Dutch boss was also asked if be brought winger Antony off due to his first-half showboating, but he insisted that he made the change as he wanted to see Ronaldo alongside Marcus Rashford in attack. Ten Hag told BT Sport after the final whistle (as per BBC Sport):

"No, it was more or less planned if we were up. I wanted to see Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo close together and the dynamic on the right side. Garnacho played well, he was good in his action, so that was good to see.

"Seeing Ronaldo get his goal was great. He created, the team created for him and we know he has the capability to finish. He needed a goal and now I'm confident there will be more goals."