Some of Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United teammates see the five-time Ballon d'Or winner as a "pain in the a**" and celebrated when it was revealed that he wanted to leave Old Trafford, according to a report.
The Portuguese veteran handed in a transfer request earlier this summer in search of Champions League football but has thus far failed to find a suitor after allegedly being turned down by the likes of Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Starting just one game under new manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo has become a "divisive" figure at the club, according to an ESPN report, which also says that the demanding figure expects teammates such as Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford to perform like 2000s colleagues Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney and is therefore critical whenever they don't reach their lofty heights.
Because of this, some United players are said to have become filled with "joy" when it became apparent that Ronaldo, described as a "pain in the a***", wanted to up sticks.
With just two days left in the current transfer window, however, time is running out to do this.
At the turn of the week, The Independent detailed how Ronaldo, through his superagent Jorge Mendes, has been pushing for a last-minute loan move to either Napoli or boyhood club Sporting Lisbon – both of which are involved in the Champions League this term.
Mendes reportedly held talks with United top brass over the weekend to try and "unblock" a transfer impasse, but sticking points remain how few clubs have shown an interest in Ronaldo which could be linked to his salary, which supposedly exceeds £500,000 ($583,000) a week.
Following his side's 1-0 victory away at Southampton on Saturday where Ronaldo completed a 22-minute cameo, Ten Hag reiterated that the club legend remains in his plans for the 2022/2023 campaign.
"We played with him," Ten Hag pointed out. "So we want him to stay. That is what we want. I hope so."
Now on a two-match win streak after beating Liverpool on Monday last week, United next face Leicester City away in the Premier League on Thursday before hosting table-topping Arsenal at home on Sunday.