Manchester United have explained Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal celebration against Everton on Sunday.

According to the club, the 37-year-old’s latest style of celebration is "a self-deprecating joke" about how much the football icon sleeps.

The legendary forward scored the winner for the Red Devils in Sunday's 2-1 win at Goodison Park, and the goal was his 700th club goal of his career.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus star scored his second goal of the season in all competitions for Erik ten Hag's team in just 15 minutes after coming off the bench.

Portugal's captain, however, opted for a rather odd style and abandoned their customary "Siu!" celebration.

He crossed his fingers in front of his chest, stood tall with his head tilted back, and closed his eyes.

An additional sibling, Brazilian winger Antony, joined Ronaldo in the celebration.

The significance of Ronaldo's new goal celebration technique has been the subject of much speculation among football fans.

The team's official website, however, revealed: "We can now reveal that Ronaldo's celebration was a self-deprecating in-joke with his fellow team-mates, highlighting the strong bonds among the players in Erik ten Hag's squad."

"Cristiano is known for taking care of himself and making sure he's always in the best shape, which naturally entails countless hours of hard work on the practice field and in the gym.

“It also includes resting at the right moments and ensuring he has enough sleep to aid his recovery: it has previously been reported that Ronaldo naps several times a day!"

“CR7’s celebration at Everton was amusingly a nod to the position in which he sleeps when travelling with the squad, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by his team-mates, who are all eager to learn from him.”

Before Ronaldo’s winner for Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils, Antony had fired the visitors level after Nigeria international Alex Iwobi put Frank Lampard’s side in front. All three goals came in the first half of the game.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has not had much game time under Erik ten Hag this season, starting only one game in the Premier League for the multiple title winners.