Louis Saha has questioned the attitudes of the Manchester United players and their desire to be a "winner" like Cristiano Ronaldo.
United's returned to winning ways against Brentford after being held by Aston Villa and losing at Wolves, but leaves them with an upfield battle to finish in the top four. West Ham sit fourth and are two points better off, though have played a game more, and Tottenham sit one point ahead but have played two games fewer.
The win at Brentford comes in the wake of a revealing interview by Ronaldo, who expressed his disappointment in the Reds' league position, and the Portuguese star's angry reaction to being substituted during the 3-1 win in London.
But Saha feels Ronaldo is the man the squad should be listening to.
"If any player has the right to speak his mind in the dressing room, it is Cristiano Ronaldo," he told Genting Casino.
"Many of these young players have yet to make their mark in the game. They haven't proved anything. They may have a few international caps, but what have they won?"
"It's like if you're not intimidated by your god, you have no respect.
"I'm not saying that the players should consider him a god, but he will be remembered as one of the best players the world has ever seen.
"As a player, if you can't take criticism, that's not normal, because he is only saying it to help players improve. He wants to win trophies while he's there and he knows how to do it, so the players must listen to him.
"He was a worker. He was someone that was dedicated to win. It's not about him, and he wouldn't bully someone to appear strong. No, no, no – he wanted to win. These United players need to ask themselves, 'Do they want to be a winner like him?'
"If so, they need to listen to him, they need to be as dedicated as him in training, they need to focus on improving week on week. They need to be humble, work hard and shut up."
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