Cristiano Ronaldo has had an old nickname resurface amongst his Manchester United teammates.
The legendary goalscorer has settled back in at the club after a tumultuous summer saw him linked with an exit.
Ronaldo appears to have struck up a good friendship with new signing Lisandro Martinez in particular.
And the Argentine recently responded to one of the Portuguese’s Instagram posts with an old nickname.
Martinez wrote “El Bichoooo” in response to a picture of Ronaldo in action during United’s 1-0 win over Southampton.
“El Bicho” translates to “The Bug” in Spanish – a moniker earned by the striker during his time in La Liga.
Commentators coined the term to capture Ronaldo’s ability to strike fear into and devour opposition defenders.
Martinez also had words of support for his teammate’s performance against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League.
“We know how big Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals are,” Martinez said. “It’s very important that he scored for his confidence and for the team.”
United boss Erik ten Hag also spoke on Ronaldo’s positive position in the team.
He said, “I think he’s totally committed to this project and totally committed to this team, totally involved. You see also connections forming around him and he is constructing connections, so I’m happy with that.”
The penalty scored during United’s 2-0 win over Sheriff was Ronaldo’s first goal of the season and he will be hoping to add to it after the international break.
The Red Devils take on Manchester City on October 2nd, although it is unclear whether Ronaldo will be in line for a start in that fixture.
