Paul Scholes feels that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player he has ever had the pleasure of working with.
Veteran midfielder hails his team-mate
Paul Scholes feels that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player he has ever had the pleasure of working with.
The announcement is a remarkable tribute to the Portuguese winger's talents, as former England international Scholes has played alongside some of the greats of the game during a glittering 14-year career.
Some of his domestic team-mates over that period include the likes of Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and David Beckham, while on an international level he has rubbed shoulders with Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer and Michael Owen.
Scholes accepts that he has been fortunate to have featured alongside a host of stars in his time, but rates Ronaldo as the pick of the bunch in terms of pure ability.
Amazing
"I have been lucky to have played with a lot of great players," he said.
"Cristiano has to be at the top now, after what he has done this season.
"Scoring the amount of goals from his position has been nothing short of amazing.
"It is not just that though, it is the way he makes chances and the threat he poses to other teams."
Ronaldo has not just set the Premier League alight this season though, he has also notched six goals in seven UEFA Champions League games.
With a tough trip to Roma facing the Red Devils on Tuesday, Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping for more magic from his young goal-machine in the quarter-final encounter.
"You have to remember Cristiano has only just turned 23," said the United boss.
"We have seen a development in every part of his game in domestic football.
"That's why we are delighted to bring a player back to Rome who has made an incredible improvement in the last year.
"Cristiano's goal scoring performances have been a big advantage to us as we all know."
Interesting
Like United, Roma are currently chasing a domestic and European double, and Ferguson expects a tough test of his side's credentials at the Stadio Olimpico.
"The fact that they are second in the league and in with a chance of the title is a measure of their improvement," he said.
"They are without question a much better team this year.
"It is an interesting tie as we will have played Roma six times in the space of a year. (The two sides also met in the last eight last season, as well as the group stages of the current campaign.)
"That's very unusual but the advantage is we have been here twice and know what the difficulties are. It is a terrific challenge for us.
"Form is important going into a match like this and we are very satisfied in that respect."