GARY LOVES RONNIE

Rumours of a post match bust-up between Neville and Ronaldo will no doubt have been quashed by Gary's gushing praise. Very savvy.

“To be honest with you some of Ronaldo's play just makes you smile. He runs at players and runs into trouble when he shouldn't, but then he will go past players.

“To play against him must be a nightmare for defenders. The amount of running he made the Benfica players do was incredible and that makes space for other players.

“He is learning all the time. We are telling him to do the right things for an hour and then exploit the space that comes in the last 20 minutes.

“It is then that we have told him he can go and win us the match. Even though he didn't score, the running he did against Benfica really helped to take the pressure off our defenders. It then enabled Louis Saha to go and score his goal.

“He is young. He has had difficulties because he is young. He came over here at 18, leaving home and his family. I would not like to experience that myself.

“He has overcome all that and now we are all seeing the player he can be. If Ronaldo doesn't go on to become the player he should be, then there is something wrong.

“Cristiano is an incredible player and an incredible talent. United fans want to come and see players like Ronaldo going down the wing, they are terrific to watch.

“United fans will always rally round their own — and Ronaldo is one of our own.”

Ronaldo himself said:

“Last year here things did not go well, but this time they have. The booing does not matter for me. If people in the stands were whistling, I forgot all about it. I don't care.

“I just stay focused and play my game. I am used to being booed these days.”