Ruud van Nistelrooy recalls Cristiano Ronaldo's rise at Man Utd - "I was lucky"

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived astatine Old Trafford arsenic a fresh-faced teen with earthy quality portion Ruud van Nistelrooy was Manchester United's apical canine - though the tables rapidly turned

Ruud van Nistelrooy claimed the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo astatine Manchester United from teen ace to world's champion was the top fulfilment of potential.

After naming Jeremy Monga (15) and Jake Evans (16) to his Leicester City squad for Friday night’s crippled against Manchester United astatine Old Trafford, the Foxes brag was asked which young players who came bully impressed him the most. He replied: “There are truthful galore - but seeing a young Cristiano Ronaldo travel into the Manchester United dressing country and develop, wrong 3 years, into the champion subordinate successful the world, was the top improvement I've ever seen.

"So if you spot however helium works, however helium lives his beingness to beryllium the champion helium tin beryllium - that's the elite standard. He came into our dressing country with those standards, and he's said successful interviews, I came into that dressing country and I had to unrecorded up to those standards each day.

"He was unfastened to larn and improve, and helium worked and worked and worked each day, connected the pitch, successful the gym, successful the betterment sessions, successful his food, successful his treatment. When you person seen those standards astatine the highest level, and you acquisition what that is - determination are not galore players who cognize that - truthful I was lucky.

"I consciousness privileged that I tin stock that knowledge, and they became my standards. So erstwhile I spot Cristiano oregon a 19-year-old Xavi Simons travel from Paris (Saint Germain) connected a escaped - helium believed successful the pathway astatine PSV with maine arsenic the manager, with the grooming exemplary we person to amended young players.

"He bought into it and the remainder is history. It's standards and endowment combined.”

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