Manchester United defeated Brentford 3-0 and kept their hopes of a top-four finish alive. Cristiano Ronaldo was once again on the scoresheet as he made no mistake from the penalty spot in the 61st minute after Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for the Red Devils.
This was Ronaldo’s 24th goal of the season and was also his 10th strike in the last 10 Premier League matches. He has been superb for Manchester United this season. Therefore he has received praise from former United defender Gary Neville.
The Portuguese talisman was subject to criticism when critics blamed him for his lack of off-the-ball movement. However, all of that is now in the past as Ronaldo is scoring goals for the Red Devils.
During the match, Neville was on commentary duties as he heaped up praise on Ronaldo. He said, “(He scored) a goal, the build-up to the penalty, his all-round performance has been outstanding. He is still a phenomenon, at the age of 37.”
Neville feels Ronaldo’s performance and his celebration after scoring goals indicates that he wants to stay in Manchester and play for the badge. This victory over Brentford has also secured the sixth position for United as they will feature in the Europa League at least.
Erik ten Hag taking over the club next season and the lack of Champions League football started the speculations of Ronaldo leaving Old Trafford next season.
However, since the rumours, Ronaldo has shown exceptional form and has scored some match winning goals. He even came up with his iconic ‘siu’ celebration after scoring the penalty against Brentford. Therefore Neville feels that the celebration gives him an indication of his desire to stay here and fight for Manchester United.
“I think he’s telling everybody that he’s going to be here next year,” Neville added on Sky Sports. “He’s that important, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s demanded to know if he’s in the manager’s plans. He simply has to be in this form.”
Ever since his return to Old Trafford, this is the first time Ronaldo has scored three goals in as many matches. This comes after he became United’s Player of the Month back in April.
