Ole: Ronaldo's arrival can inspire young Reds
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes the recent arrival of superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo can only further aid the development of some of the club's younger players.
The Reds' newest addition has enjoyed a decorated career since his professional debut back in 2002 and has amassed medal after medal, and set countless records, while playing for some illustrious clubs as well as his country.
With the Portugal captain now preparing for his second debut at Old Trafford on Saturday, as confirmed earlier today by boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Norwegian believes having a player of Cristiano’s calibre within the ranks can only push other players around him to pursue greatness in the game.
Part two of Ole's pre-match press conference
Looking for more news and views from Ole? Watch the second part of his press conference with journalists...
"Mason, Jadon, Hannibal... I’m sure I’ll forget some names here! Aaron, Donny, Marcus... the boys in this group have got some unbelievable professionals to learn from," said the United boss, in the second part of his pre-match press conference.
"They’ve got Cristiano, who’s one of the best players of all time. They've got Raphael [Varanae] who came in. They've got Juan Mata. There are so many players to learn from.
"Of course when you have players like this, there’s no hiding place," Ole added.
With the Reds boasting a plethora of talented youngsters, some of whom are really at the start of their careers, it is hoped that some of Ronaldo's know how and experience at the very highest level can trickle down to them.
Ole also provided an insight into how the club's values today are the same as they were in his playing days, by drawing comparison to Roy Keane’s changing room pointers when he was still maturing as a striker in the same team as the revered Irish midfielder.
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"When I used to play, if Roy Keane saw me dip out of a tackle or not make a certain run, you were told.
"I ended up turning into one of those who told the players who I played with [what to do], and that’s how it should be here at United. We have some experienced leaders here that put those demands down. Of course it wasn’t always Sir Alex [doing that] and it can’t always be me," he explained.
"We're now in a position where the experience should be dripping down to the young boys with the aspirations to be as good as these players we are talking about."