Ralf Rangnick has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo’s “best performance” during his second Manchester United spell, but admitted that managing the veteran striker is proving a “challenge”.
Ronaldo had been a major doubt coming into the game against Tottenham at Old Trafford, having missed the defeat to Manchester City last time out.
The 37-year-old had been struggling with a hip flexor issue and only joined the rest of the group in Thursday’s session and Rangnick admitted that he could have put him on the bench, only to change his mind and perform a U-turn to start him from the off.
And Ronaldo repaid his manager’s faith in stunning fashion, almost single-handedly driving United to a 3-2 victory over one of their nearest rivals for a top-four berth.
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The Portuguese forward opened the scoring in the first half with a fierce shot from distance, before scoring his second just minutes after Harry Kane had equalised from the penalty spot.
Spurs equalised for the second time with less than twenty minutes to go, but Ronaldo wasn’t to be denied, completing his 59th hat-trick with a thumping header.
United’s interim boss admitted that while he didn’t expect him to score three, he had full faith he was ready to contribute in some way.
“[Ronaldo] was also energetic today. He was part of the whole team when we had to defend, because we had to defend a lot. It was a top performance by him, but also by the rest of the team,” Rangnick explained.
“I didn’t expect him to score three goals, but I expected him to score. That’s why I decided to play him.
“His training session was so good on Thursday that I decided to start him and not bring him from the bench. I spoke to him before training on Friday and he said his hip flexor was good enough to play.
"He can do it [get 70,000 people off their feet], but again he can also do it only with the team. A fantastic performance.
“It was not just the three goals today it was also he was part of the team when they were in possession of the ball.”
The victory over Spurs gives United’s hopes of finishing above Arsenal a welcome boost, but all eyes now turn to the Champions League, with the second leg against Atletico Madrid just 72 hours away.
Despite the overwhelming praise for Ronaldo, Rangnick did open up on the difficulties of managing the legendary forward, hinting he had a lot to prove after some criticism of his recent performances.
He added: “It’s a challenge with a player like Ronaldo, but he showed today that he still has the quality to play for a club like Manchester United.
“He also has the quality to be part of the team, and if we want to be successful at the end of the season that’s what we need.”
