Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand has lauded former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo amid accusations that he's hindering Ralf Rangnick's side's progress.
Ronaldo netted a stunning hat-trick for United against Tottenham in their last Premier League fixture. It was a return that took his tally for the season up to 18 in all competitions.
Interim manager Rangnick has made three changes to his starting XI for the Atletico Madrid showdown as Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Marcus Rashford make way for Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay and Anthony Elanga.
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Even without offering up a timely reminder of his ability, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo was always going to start against the Spanish champions. Despite his advancing years, there is one thing that still sets him apart from other United players - according to Ferdinand.
Speaking to BT Sport, he said: " His impact is unquestionable. 800 or so goals he's scored in his career, but his three goals against Spurs at the weekend just sum him up.
"An absolute rocket for his first goal. You can talk about his age, his sharpness, sometimes it's in his head where he beats players. Speed of thought. It's not about the body, it's about how you think and smell spaces you can get into ahead of others."
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Fellow pundit Paul Scholes added: " He has to play in this team. He's the only real outright goalscorer this team has got. [Edinson] Cavani, maybe, but he never seems to be fit enough. If Cristiano is fit, he has to play. Nine times out of 10, for what he's done the last however many years, he'll continue doing."
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