Cristiano Ronaldo MADE Sir Alex Ferguson sell top Man Utd striker - Louis Saha

Cristiano Ronaldo did not get on with Ruud van Nistelrooy at Man Utd (Image: GETTY)

CRISTIANO RONALDO was the main reason Sir Alex Ferguson sold Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

That’s according to Louis Saha who has lifted the lid on the relationship between the Juventus star and the former Netherlands ace.

Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy reportedly clashed because both had a ‘selfish mentality’

The latter left United for Real Madrid in 2006 as Ronaldo would continue to star at Old Trafford.

Speaking on Stadium Astro, Saha said: “Ruud fit really well with Man Utd, scored a lot of goals.

“But he had a selfish mentality sometimes.

“And there was a tension with Cristiano because he was young.

“Cristiano sometimes has this selfishness too, wanting to improve as a bigger player.

“Sometimes Ruud was not happy with that.”

Cristiano Ronaldo played with Ruud van Nistelrooy at Man Utd when he first joined the club (Image: GETTY)

Saha went on to explain exactly what Sir Alex Ferguson made of the whole situation.

He continued: “It was a personal issue between the manager and Ruud van Nistelrooy that forced Sir Alex to take the decision.

“Ruud went to a big club as well, so it was not a bad move for him.

“I think there was a moment where Sir Alex found the partnership between Wayne Rooney and me was working better for Cristiano and the players.”

Ronaldo left Manchester United himself for Real Madrid in 2009 and became one of their all-time greats.

Last summer the Portuguese embarked on a new challenge at Juventus though.

Ronaldo has netted 21 goals and provided 12 assists in all competitions this season.