MX23RW : Friday, December 20 19:49:07| >> :60:3558:3558:

Cristiano Ronaldo will lift Manchester United's rising stars - Robbie Keane

Cristiano Ronaldo will lift Manchester United's rising stars - Robbie Keane
© Reuters
The Portugal forward returned to Old Trafford on transfer deadline day.

Robbie Keane believes the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United will take the young England players at Old Trafford to the next level.

The 36-year-old Ronaldo arrived in Manchester for the second time in his career this week following his exit from Juventus, where he scored 101 goals in just over three seasons.

The Portugal international immediately made the headlines following his move after scoring two vital goals in the dying minutes in their 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Republic of Ireland to get three points and break Ali Daei's International goalscoring record.

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his late winner against the Republic of Ireland
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his late winner against the Republic of Ireland (Isabel Infantes/PA)

Keane told the PA news agency: "The younger players around him, you'll see them grow now even more just because they're around his presence.

"You know he won't accept that the lads are doing it the wrong way. For example if I'm Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, I would be watching Ronaldo every day.

"How does he train? How does he prepare himself? Because it's like an education for them, for someone who's been the best player in the world for however many years.

Cristiano Ronaldo File Photo
Ronaldo last played for Manchester United in 2009 (Martin Rickett/PA)

Ronaldo departed Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2009 at 24 years of age and went on to win several World Player of the Year awards amongst Champions League and Spanish title wins.

Asked about claims he was past his best, Keane said: "His mentality is completely different and the reason why he's still playing at 36 years of age, the reason why he's in that unbelievable shape.

"Unfortunately he scored two goals in the last few minutes against Ireland, which was gutting for me, but that just goes to show how good he is and how important he is to Portugal and obviously now to Man Utd. I've got no doubt he could finish top goalscorer in the Premier League."

Soccer Aid for UNICEF Training – Motspur Park
Robbie Keane will be managing the Rest of the World alongside Harry Redknapp in Soccer Aid 2021 (Steve Paston/PA)

Keane will be managing alongside Harry Redknapp at the Etihad in the Soccer Aid for UNICEF celebrity charity match on September 4 and will be coaching a team which includes Roberto Carlos, Nigel De Jong, Shay Given, Patrice Evra and Usain Bolt.

The 41-year-old said: "I'm excited, it's great to obviously have fans back, we realised in the last 18 months how important fans are, last Soccer Aid was played in front of no crowd so I'm really looking forward to it."

* Soccer Aid for UNICEF is live from 6:30pm, Saturday 4th September at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, exclusively on ITV and STV. This year, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) will match donations, meaning every £1 raise or donated becomes £2 – up to £6.3 million. Donate now at Socceraid.org.uk/donate

ID:462250:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7412:
Written by
P A

Click here for more stories about Ronaldo

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
England's Harry Kane celebrates scoring against Hungary in a World Cup qualifier on September 2, 2021
Read Next:
Mason Mount believes Hungary win showed England are 'coming back stronger'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
Read more about Ronaldo Robbie Keane Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Broncos
27-34
Chargers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!