EPL: Cristiano Ronaldo’s responsibilities at Manchester United highlighted

Graeme Souness, a former Newcastle United manager, has highlihhted the responsibilities of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Manchester United dres...

Graeme Souness, a former Newcastle United manager, has highlihhted the responsibilities of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Manchester United dressing room.

The former manager also labelled Cristiano Ronaldo as ‘courageous’ for moving back to Old Trafford.

Souness believes the 36-year-old Portuguese will have a transformative effect on the dressing room.

Manchester United announced a surprise deal that saw the former Real Madrid and Juventus boss back to Old Trafford as they snatched him from the Italian giants and out of the clutches of their rivals, Manchester City.

The 36-year-old left United a legend in 2009 after winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League.

He went on to cement his status as one of the greatest of all time at Real Madrid and then at Juventus

He told Sky Sports: “The thing for me, what won’t be black or white, will be what effect he has in that dressing room on other players.

“You hear me say it all the time. You’ve got no chance unless you’ve got good senior pros. Now you’ve got the ultimate.

“He comes into the dressing room, training will be different. People’s attitude will be different.

“I don’t know if he’s vocal or not, but he might pull a face when someone is doing something he doesn’t find professional. That’s enough.

“I see United going up and challenging for the championship. I just think those games, what 11 draws (last season), I don’t see them drawing those games because he’s got the sixth sense and more – a seventh sense.

“Him and Messi are on another planet and I see him making a difference for them.

“I come back to it, what an opportunity to be in the same dressing room as someone who has an argument to say ‘I’m the best player ever that’s kicked a ball’.”

Ronaldo’s glittering club career in England, Spain and Italy has seen him score 674 goals in 897 games, winning five Ballons d’Or.

“There’s got to be question marks. 37 next February. First of all, there’s an argument for him and Messi being the greatest players ever.

“There’s people who’ve had that ability but not had the longevity. I don’t think it’s up for discussion. Lots of footballers would agree with that.

“I think he’s terribly courageous in coming back to Man United at this time because he’s leaving Italian football, which used to be the hardest place to get goals – it isn’t any more.

“He’s coming back to a league where everyone who has come here is surprised by the physicality of it, the intensity of it.

“He’s coming back to that. For Man United, it’s good news as I believe there’s maybe two, three or four players in their dressing room who need him.

“It would only be him or Messi coming to their dressing room would make them up their game.

“I think there are some players in that dressing room who think they’ve arrived, think they’re the real deal, and no one can tell them anything.

“What an example to have in your dressing room. Man United will improve over the next two years.

“He will get goals against the lesser teams. He no longer has the same athleticism and no longer plays any wider than the box.”

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