Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of having a "very negative effect" on two of his former Manchester United teammates, including in-form attacker Marcus Rashford.
United have won all of their games since Ronaldo left the club following the mutual termination of his contract in November, with Rashford being one of the side's standout players in this time, having scored seven goals in six matches since the tournament in Qatar concluded.
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The Portugal star, meanwhile, has found a new home at Al Nassr after penning a lucrative two-and-a-half-year contract with the Saudi side, but is yet to make his debut for the team.
Liverpool legend John Barnes has now insisted that Ronaldo's exit from the Red Devils has been a key reason for Rashford's resurgence in form, saying the 37-year-old had an undesired impact on the England star as well as Jadon Sancho, whose struggles have continued behind the scenes.
"Rashford will be a fantastic player for Manchester United," Barnes told BonusCodeBets.
"He needs to focus on playing in those wide positions and coming inside to affect the game. He's not a centre-forward. That's not his game.
"I'm pleased for him because he went through a sticky patch last year which was because of the disharmony at United.
"You have Sancho, who is still yet to come back also. I would like to see Sancho given an opportunity to revive his career.
"I think Ronaldo had a very negative effect on the players whilst he was there. Just his presence.
"A lot of the players went backwards because of him and the influence he had. I'm glad Rashford and Sancho will now be given an opportunity to show what they can do.
"When you go to a club and don't start well, it's tough. Especially at £80 million. Sancho has a lot of potential so hopefully he can be reintroduced to the team soon. Hopefully the fans will give him their support because he has a lot of potential.
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"The difference with Rashford is he played well for a couple of years at the club. He's a local boy so even when he had a bit of a dip, he had that support from the fans. He had the luxury of the fans giving him a chance."
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