England forward Marcus Rashford said on Sunday it had been an “unbelievable experience” playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United and described him as one of his idols. Ronaldo left United last week when the club said they had reached a mutual agreement with the player to terminate his contract with immediate effect. 

The separation came after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had heavily criticised United manager Erik ten Hag in a TV interview and accused the club of “betraying” him. Rashford played with Ronaldo during the 37-year-old’s second stint at United, having signed for the club’s academy during the Portuguese’s first spell.