Sir Alex Ferguson put up a robust defence of Cristiano Ronaldo last night, saying he was bewildered by the accusations of Roma’s David Pizarro that the Manchester United player did "spiteful things" to humiliate his opponents.
"As far as I’m concerned Ronaldo can carry on doing what he does," said Ferguson. "He’s a winner. Opponents can’t kick him out of the game because he’ll always get up and play. He wants to express his talent and that is why people are prepared to pay £40 or £50 to watch him.
"It might be annoying for his opponents because he’s prepared to take the ball to them and show these talents, but you can’t deny the boy’s confidence and courage to do that. It’s a breath of fresh air to see players with expression in their game and Ronaldo will not be intimidated."
United’s 2-0 defeat of Roma put them in the driving seat for a place in the Champions League semi-finals, probably against Barcelona. Should United progress Ferguson will not need to concern himself with stifling Ronaldinho, however. The Brazilian was yesterday ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing a muscle in his right leg in training on Thursday. Scans confirmed that he would be out of action for about six weeks.Ronaldo may have the chance to shine alone then, not that Pizarro would be appreciative. He spoke angrily of a player who had a "big head" and was "very arrogant". The former Chile international had shown his displeasure on the pitch, picking up a booking for one challenge on his Portuguese opponent.
"It won’t worry Ronaldo," said Ferguson. "The most important message to send out is that here is a great player who’s not afraid to take the ball and beat men. That’s what Ronaldo is saying when he plays. In whatever fashion he does it, I don’t care. He is paid for his ability and his expression of that ability. We don’t encourage our players to humiliate opponents, but fans want to see players like Ronaldo who are prepared to show talent."Pizarro’s reaction was not the only thing to bemuse the United manager. He also had to deal with a newspaper report that claimed Owen Hargreaves had been unable to break into the team on a regular basis because Ferguson was punishing him for being late for training and team meetings. "It’s absolutely rubbish," said an indignant Ferguson. "His time-keeping is perfect. I don’t know where these stories come from."
Ferguson also revealed that he intended to fight his Football Association charge of improper conduct for comments he made about the referee Martin Atkinson following United’s FA Cup defeat to Portsmouth. "I will contest it," said Ferguson, who intends to highlight Atkinson’s mistakes to justify describing him as a "disgrace". When he was asked why he felt he could get away with it, Ferguson replied incredulously, "Were you at the game?"Technorati Tags: Ronaldo told to carry on entertaining by Ferguson
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