Manchester United fans sing Viva Ronaldo in Europa League game against Barcelona for the first time since his exit - Reports

According to the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United fans were heard chanting Cristiano Ronaldo's name for the first time since the Portuguese's unceremonious exit from the club in November.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner left the club by mutually terminating his contract after his explosive interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.

However, as United locked horns against Barcelona in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff clash at Old Trafford, fans sang the former Real Madrid superstar's name to agitate Barca fans.

🚨🚨| #mufc fans chant “Viva Ronaldo” for the first time since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club. [MEN]

Ronaldo wreaked havoc on Barcelona during his time in the Spanish capital. He faced the Blaugrana a combined 34 times in his career for Los Blancos and Manchester United. The legendary No. 7 scored 20 goals and provided three assists against the Catalan giants.

Through all his iconic goals against the Blaugrana, the Portuguese attacker has proven to be a nemesis for Barca throughout his career. His personal rivalry with Barca legend Lionel Messi has been one of the biggest spectacles of modern football.

Rio Ferdinand named player Manchester United should sign as a long-term Cristiano Ronaldo replacement

Ronaldo's mid-season departure left a glaring hole in United's attack. Wout Weghorst has been signed on loan as a stop-gap replacement.

Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen, however, are the two players that Manchester United have been aiming for as permanent replacements. Kane has been Tottenham Hotspur's talisman for the better part of the last decade.

Victor Osimhen, on the other hand, is one of the in-form strikers in Europe at the moment. He has scored 20 goals and has provided four assists in 24 games for Napoli this season.

Ferdinand revealed that he wants United to sign the Nigerian over Kane for better value for money. He told BT Sport (via Metro):

"I think if I was talking about investing and looking after my money, I’d probably go for Osimhen. There’s resale value with his age at 24 years old. It’s gonna be a huge outlay."

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Marcus Rashford has stepped up for Erik ten Hag's team big time this season, scoring 24 goals across competitions. He has been the attack's leader for a while.