Jordan believes Ronaldo controversy could be 'glimpse into his real character'

The Portuguese star has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons after walking down the tunnel as an unused substitute before the end of Manchester United's 2-0 victory over Tottenham last month.

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Ronaldo was subsequently dropped from the squad for United's trip to Chelsea three-days later before returning to the fold after clear-the-air talks with boss Erik ten Hag.

The 37-year-old posted a heartfelt apology on his Instagram page following the premature exit and has since featured in four of United's last five games - playing the full 90 minutes.

Despite seeming to be back in favour with the Dutchman, Ronaldo and Manchester United look likely to part ways in the near future after what started as an emotional return to the club, quickly turned sour.

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The recent controversy followed on from summer misdemeanors including his late return to pre-season training as he pushed for an Old Trafford exit, and an unsanctioned early get away during United's friendly with Rayo Vallecano in August.

Former teammate Wayne Rooney exclusively told talkSPORT that he doesn't think United are a better team with Ronaldo in it and that he doesn't agree with Roy Keane's staunch defence of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Rooney added: "I just think the things he has done from the start of the season, it is not acceptable for Manchester United. I've seen Roy Keane defending him. Roy wouldn't accept that. Roy wouldn't accept that at all."

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Jordan agreed with Rooney's assessment and feels Ronaldo's behaviour was born out of a lack of standards at the club in recent years and that his petulance could be a sign of his true character.

"I think that he needed to be a self-starter in terms of being an example and a role model, he's in a club where Man United was in flux. It was in disarray for several years with a lack of standards " Jordan told talkSPORT.

"He didn't get a choice about standards when he played for Sir Alex Ferguson the first time round. He didn't get much of a choice playing for Real Madrid about what standards he would and wouldn't deploy.

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"But he did get a choice at Manchester United [second spell] because the place was in disarray and there weren't any leaders in there.

"So what we might have seen is a real glimpse into the character of Cristiano Ronaldo."

Jordan also praised the controls put in place by Sir Alex Ferguson during his 26-year tenure as manager and says Ronaldo let himself down this time round after knowing the club's code of conduct following his stint under the legendary Scot.

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"When you're working for Sir Alex Ferguson, you don't get much of a choice about how you're gonna behave irrespective of how good you were. Ferguson was the king of that particular castle and everyone knew where they stood.

"This is the one time Ronaldo was probably asked to conduct himself in line with a very different environment that probably didn't have the controls and discipline in place you expect from a big football club.

He continued: "He's let himself down and he's let down the image he wanted to create in other people's minds.

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"I know that there's other things behind it. I know he's had some tragedies in his personal life and we have to factor those things into the occasion as well.

"But I'm disappointed with Ronaldo in the way that he's chosen to behave at times.".