Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

Ronaldo return 'like Keane stepping back into Man United's dressing room'

talksport.com, 14 September 2021, 18:05
He's only been back a couple of weeks, but the impact Cristiano Ronaldo is having at Manchester United is huge.

Ronaldo scored twice on his second debut for the club last weekend and also netted in their Champions League opener at Swiss side Young Boys.

The Portuguese is also an influential figure off the pitch - Red Devils teammate Lee Grant shedding fascinating insight into how Ronaldo is getting the players to watch what they eat without saying anything.

"This was Friday night in the group hotel," Grant told talkSPORT last weekend.

"So, as you guys will be aware, you finish your dinner and usually on a Friday night you've got a few cheat stuff out. You've got some apple crumble or you've got a bit of brownie and cream or what not.

"I tell you now, not one player touched the apple crumble and custard, not one player went up for that brownie because everybody was sat down and one of the lads said to me, 'What has Cristiano got on his plate?'

"So we were having a little goosey gander at what he has got and obviously it is the cleanest, most healthy plate you can imagine. And it just cracked me up how not one single player dared get up and have that junk food that was laid out."

Ronaldo's return reminds Danny Mills of Roy Keane, the talkSPORT pundit saying the 36-year-old back at Old Trafford would be like having the Irishman in the dressing room again.

"His influence off the pitch, around the training ground, not just the 90 minutes that he plays will be extreme," Mills said during Man United's clash at Young Boys on talkSPORT 2.

"Different personalities - but it's like Roy Keane stepping back into that dressing room and going 'if you want to win things, if you want to win the sort of trophies I've won and be as successful as me, this is what I do.'

"He won't say this out loud but he's one of the best players in the world, arguably the best, but his methodology, his training regime, the way he looks after himself, the standards he sets himself across looking after his body is second to none.

"There's no reason why everybody else can't be doing that and he will expect those sorts of standards."

Young Boys equalised in the 66th minute, prompting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to make changes, including hooking Ronaldo off for Jesse Lingard on 71 minutes.

And Ronaldo could only look on in horror as Lingard's dreadful backpass went straight to Theoson Siebatchu, who bundled home the winner for Young Boys in the final minute of stoppage-time.

Download talkSPORT Edge NOW!

Whether it's goals as they go in or the latest from your club, stay up to date with everything going on in football with breaking news, live scores and in-app betting.

Download talkSPORT Edge in the App Store here.

Top News

4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly opened talks with Getafe over a second loan spell for Mason Greenwood. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to rival Arsenal for the signature of Everton midfielder Amadou Onana. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erling Haaland has taken a swipe at former Manchester United man Roy Keane after scoring four goals in Manchester City's 5-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly prepared to offer defender Jarell Quansah a new lucrative long-term contract. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 32 of the 2023-24 Eredivisie season concludes with a meeting between SBV Excelsior and NEC at Van Donge & De Roo Stadion on Monday evening. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has insisted that Arsenal "will win" the Premier League title if his Manchester City side drop points in any of their remaining three matches. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gary O'Neil has admitted that his Wolverhampton Wanderers side were "no way near at the level" to test Manchester City in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League defeat at the Etihad Stadium. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are sweating over the fitness of captain Bruno Fernandes for Monday's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be bidding to return to sixth position in the Premier League table when they head to Selhurst Park on Monday evening to tackle an in-form Crystal Palace outfit. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have won the 2023-24 La Liga title with four games to spare, securing the famous trophy for the 36th time in their history. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Girona produced a remarkable turnaround to claim a 4-2 win over Catalan rivals Barcelona to secure Champions League football and hand Real Madrid the La Liga title. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City remain within touching distance of Premier League leaders Arsenal after securing a dominant 5-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois revealed his delight at making his first appearance of the 2023-24 campaign in Saturday afternoon's La Liga clash with Cadiz. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta lavished praise on Kai Havertz for the Germany international's performance in Saturday's 3-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk David Raya's clean sheet in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon has seen the Spain international secure the Premier League Golden Glove award for the 2023-24 campaign. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford and Fulham earned a point each in Saturday afternoon's goalless draw in the Premier League at the Brentford Community Stadium. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest have moved three points clear of the Premier League relegation zone courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Burnley have been left five points from Premier League safety with just two games left courtesy of a 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Phil Foden and Ederson are both fit to start for Manchester City in this evening's Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both at risk of seeing their end-of-season ambitions dashed before their eyes, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns in Sunday's Premier League main event at Anfield. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 home win over Bournemouth to boost their hopes of claiming their first Premier League title in 20 years. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City are relegated from the Championship, the latter going down despite a final-day win over Norwich City. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town have recorded a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town to seal promotion to the Premier League. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After leapfrogging their London rivals in the Premier League table on Thursday evening, Chelsea host fellow European outsiders West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will attempt to reach a notable milestone in Sunday's Premier League home clash with Tottenham Hotspur. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly confident that Son Heung-min will sign a new deal at the club. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Xavi is reportedly pushing for his club to sign Manchester City attacker Bernardo Silva during this summer's transfer window. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United and Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison is reportedly one of the players who could be sold as part of Ange Postecoglou's summer clearout. 4 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides at opposite ends of the Turkish Super Lig table clash on Monday evening as Konyaspor host Fenerbahce at the Torku Arena.