Cristiano Ronaldo has responded to former Manchester United team-mate Patrice Evra's claim about the five-time Ballon d'Or not being the problem behind the Reds' struggles this season.
After watching Ronaldo score a hat-trick in United's thrilling 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, the former left-back took to Instagram to hit back at those who have been criticising the Portuguese international in recent months. Several pundits and well-known figures have felt that Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford has been the catalyst behind United's below-par campaign, whether it be because of his status within the game or his age.
But considering he currently tops United's goalscoring charts with 18 to his name in all competitions this season, those claims do not stack up well. That is why Evra sprung to the defence of his old team-mate after his treble against Spurs.
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On Instagram, the Frenchman wrote: "@Cristiano, bro, please keep being the problem," accompanied with three laughing emojis. It was immediately clear that Evra was poking fun at those who have been so critical of United's No.7 this term.
Ronaldo, who missed the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City through injury, was unplayable at times against Spurs and his hat-trick proved that he is more than capable of still delivering the goods at the highest level.
Now, the former Juventus star has responded to Evra's Instagram post about him supposedly being the problem behind United's troubles this term. Replying to Evra's post, Ronaldo posted three emojis, which were a thinking face, a smile with sweat dripping down its face and a fist pump.
It is therefore clear that the Portuguese star was pleased to see Evra backing his corner. Ronaldo, when at full tilt this season, has been excellent, even though he has not scored as often as he would have liked.
Nevertheless, his showing against Spurs, in the eyes of interim manager Ralf Rangnick, was his best since the German arrived at the club in November.
Rangnick said: "We were just joking and maybe it makes sense to send him to Portugal for three days, then have him not training for two days, then have him back training on Thursday, if that's the way he performs.
"Maybe we'll have to do that for the rest of the season. He was on a similar level in training on Thursday, by the way, which is why I decided after that training session to play him from the start.
"He made the difference for sure, but not only for the three goals. That was the best performance from him, at least since I arrived here, on and off the ball."
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