Ten Hag has signed an initial three-year contract to take over from current interim boss Ralph Rangnick at the end of this season.
Questions have been raised as to whether veteran Ronaldo will be suited to Ten Hag's demanding style of play but Van Basten thinks the five-time Ballon D'or winner should be kept if he keeps banging in the goals.
It has not been an easy homecoming for Ronaldo since joining from Juventus at the start of the season but he is still one of the brightest lights in the Manchester United set up.
At the age of 37, Ronaldo is United's top scorer this season with 22 goals in 35 appearances across all competitions.
"If Ronaldo carries on playing like he did last week [against Norwich] and scores two or three goals in a match on a regular basis, there is no need to take him out of the team," Van Basten told The Rondo Show.
"Ronaldo is a player who does his own thing, but as long as he delivers, you have to give him a place in the team. Ten Hag will take into account that he cannot ask the same things physically from Cristiano Ronaldo that he will be asking of an 18-year-old.
"Of course Ronaldo will need to work hard – but I am sure he will work hard because I can see Ten Hag having an influence on him to get him to play how he wants."
"I will give Erik one piece of advice: don’t listen to the media when you start there," he added.
"He will have such a massive focus on his own job, on his work on the training ground and on the team. And when he does that, I am sure he can change everything at United."
Ronaldo will have one year remaining on his Manchester United contract at the end of this season.
