Portugal boss Fernando Santos has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo remains an important part of his squad, and says he has not decided who will start up front in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Morocco - despite Goncalo Ramos' brilliant hat-trick against Switzerland.
Ramos, 21, replaced Ronaldo in the Portugal side for the last-16 tie and scored three goals and set up another on his first international start, as Santos' side made a statement with a stunning 6-1 win.
Ronaldo, who is a free agent after being released by Manchester United, was dropped for an angry reaction to being substituted in Portugal's final group game against South Korea, with Santos criticising his behaviour on the eve of the last-16 tie.
But he insisted his relationship with the 37-year-old remains strong and says he has not decided who will start against surprise package Morocco on Saturday.
"I have a very close relationship with Cristiano, I have known him since he was 19 at Sporting and then he started to develop in the national squad when I arrived in 2014," Santos said.
"Ronaldo and I never misinterpret the human and personal aspect with that of manager and player. I will always consider that he is a very important player to have in the team.
"Andre [Silva] is a great player who plays more advanced, Cristiano is more fixed - he stays in a more determined area towards the box. Goncalo has different characteristics," Santos added.
"He is very dynamic and that is what he ended up showing us [tonight]. It is nothing new, he already came on in two matches but Andre also played in the last match. I have three players I fully trust. For each match I will use which player I see best for my strategy.
"Ronaldo definitely, and all the players who are with me can be used. And if they are not in the starting 11, they can play later."
