Patrice Evra has come to the defence of his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo as new manager Erik ten Hag considers the Portuguese’s future.
Ronaldo may not be in the United squad next season despite being the club’s top scorer this year, netting 24 times in 38 appearances.
Ten Hag has just taken over at the Premier League side and is being encouraged by some pundits and fans to drop the forward. Among the critics is Jamie Carragher, who said Ronaldo’s age is an issue; the star will be turning 38 next February.
But Evra says there’s still life in the forward and that people should look at the impact he made on his return to Old Trafford.
“Cristiano, it’s not a question,” Evra told the Mirror. “Can we leave this guy alone? He’s got 18 goals. Where would we be if Cristiano wasn’t in this squad?
“That’s why when people talk about him, I’m like: ‘Those people are not in peace with themselves or they are jealous.’
“It’s so crazy, I don’t even want to answer that question anymore because I’ve answered so many times. I will give you one thing: Put Cristiano Ronaldo in the Manchester City, Liverpool or Chelsea team [and he will do well]. But put one of their best players, put Mo Salah in United, [he will struggle] like every player.
“And they say it’s because [Ronaldo] is my friend or whatever. No, I’m in love with his work ethic, with his professionalism.”
It is unknown whether Ronaldo will stay or go at Old Trafford and there are a lot of question marks over what the squad could look like next season.
The likes of Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani look set to leave this summer and there are rumours that players such as Frenkie de Jong could be signing.
