Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has distanced himself from Cristiano Ronaldo by insisting they were “never close”.

Ronaldo turns 40 on Wednesday, demonstrating the marvellous longevity the Portuguese football legend has enjoyed over his glittering career. He celebrated his impressive milestone as one of the oldest players in the game with two goals for Al-Nassr against Al Wasl in the AFC Champions League earlier in the week - 23 years after making his debut for his first club, Sporting CP.

But it’s unlikely that the United legend received any birthday wishes from former Sporting and current United manager Amorim. That’s according to the man himself, who made the surprising revelation that the two compatriots have had no contact since he took the Red Devils job in November, despite them having previously been Portugal team-mates and their links with the Old Trafford club.

READ MORE: I was playing golf with Sir Alex Ferguson as he signed Cristiano Ronaldo - I thought it was R9

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo and £97.5m signing a warning for Man United after Paul Pogba invitation

Amorim, who himself turned 40 on January 27, opened up in a recent interview about their relationship. Asked if he had talked to the former Real Madrid and Juventus icon since being appointed United boss, he told O Jogo: “No, we used to talk in the national team. I have never had a very close relationship with Cristiano; we only spoke when I went to the national team.

“Whenever we meet, we talk; we know he is a legend and an example for this club; he was and still is someone very important to our country, but nothing more than that. He is an example for all Portuguese people and a legend of our club.”

Amorim was part of the Portugal national team’s set-up sporadically between 2010 and 2014, which overlapped with Ronaldo’s gargantuan international career spanning 2003 to the present.

It may therefore come as a surprise that he has not sought to lean on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's wealth of knowledge about English football, having suffered a highly difficult start to his Red Devils managerial career with three draws and eight defeats in 19 matches in charge.

Amorim’s reluctance to be linked with Ronaldo could also be down to the fact that Ronaldo's second United spell ended in controversy in 2022, with the forward being frozen out of the squad before giving a bombshell interview criticising the club’s infrastructure and ownership.

Another of the five-time Champions League winner’s former clubs, Real, paid tribute to the Santiago Bernabeu icon today by sending him a message on his landmark birthday. “Dear Cristiano, from Real Madrid, we want to send you our warmest wishes on your 40th birthday,” a post on the club's X account read.

“Every Madridista is proud of the legend that you are and what you represent for our history. Have a great day with your family and loved ones.”