Real Madrid have made a mistake in selling Ronaldo to AC Milan, according to former coach Vicente del Bosque.

"Real need Ronaldo at the moment and it would have been better to have integrated him into the squad because the team hasn't got that many strikers," Del Bosque was quoted as saying in sports daily Marca on Thursday.

"He unites the dressing room more than he divides it and as a player he has all the natural instincts of a striker."

Real sold the three-times World Player of the Year to Milan for 7.5 million euros (9.76 million dollars) on Tuesday after coach Fabio Capello made it clear he did not want the Brazilian in the squad.

Real, who are in third place in La Liga, have scored just three goals in their last seven games in all competitions with current first choice strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gonzalo Higuain struggling to find the net.

Del Bosque guided Real to two European Cups and two league titles while he was coach.

The club has not won a major trophy since he was discarded by then president Florentino Perez after winning the league in 2003.