Manchester United great Gary Neville was certainly in awe of Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance vs Tottenham Hotspur and leapt to his defence.
The Portuguese forward has been criticised at times this season with some claiming he offers little else other than his goals.
π£ Gary Neville: "#mufc's biggest problem is not Cristiano Ronaldo. Their defending is absolutely awful." [Sky Sports]
— UtdDistrict πΊπ¦ (@UtdDistrict) March 12, 2022
π£ Gary Neville on Cristiano Ronaldo's career goal record: "That is just obscene." [Sky Sports]
— UtdDistrict πΊπ¦ (@UtdDistrict) March 12, 2022
Ronaldo singlehandedly defeated Spurs by scoring a hat-trick against them in the 3-2 win at Old Trafford.
His return from injury seemingly couldn’t be better timed and Neville used it to clear his former teammate’s name.
The former defender insisted Ronaldo isn’t the cause of the problems at United and instead blamed the defending.
Neville could be heard all while commentating during the game, complaining of the lack of work the team does off the ball.
It’s a problem that has continued this season even after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s dismissal, although it has improved under Ralf Rangnick.
The German boss has tightened up the Red Devils’ defence overall but problems remain at times, as evidenced by conceding twice at home.
Although Ronaldo may not be the problem at Manchester United, some elements of the criticism aimed at him has been a bit fair.
Nonetheless, his goals clearly have made the difference and United would be in a more difficult position without him.