Cristiano Ronaldo proved his leadership qualities at Real Madrid when he 'acted as a human shield' by telling the media to leave Gareth Bale alone following his arrival.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has been criticised for his attitude since returning to United in the summer, was furious when Ralf Rangnick decided to bring him off during their win against Brentford this week.
He also conducted an interview earlier this month where he dropped a scathing assessment of the younger players in United's squad.
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Ronaldo's comments were not well-received by some but his intentions were clear. He spoke like a captain and wanted to inspire those around him after a poor run of form.
United need leaders more than ever and the 36-year-old certainly has all the qualities to give his teammates a lift.
A perfect example of Ronaldo showing those leadership qualities comes from his time at Real Madrid, when he publicly defended Gareth Bale after a slow start to life at the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo said: "I think Gareth Bale has done well," Ronaldo said. "Since he arrived he has had to do a preseason, so it has been difficult for him. But you can see he is very excited about being here.
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He continued: "He always wants to improve, which is important. People put pressure on him, for how much he costs, which I do not think is good for him. If you want to help him, leave him alone, put pressure on other players.
"I am sure he will do very well for the team."
Ronaldo's actions on the field have been questioned in recent weeks. Gary Neville criticised the United forward for 'running off' at the end of Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Newcastle.
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He said on Sky Sports: "We talk about body language. We talked about it early in the season when Ronaldo ran off at the end of the Everton game.
"He's run off again tonight. He ran off at Watford when everyone knew the manager was going to get the sack. And at Norwich.
"There's Fernandes whinging, too. They're the two senior players. It's devastating for younger players when the two best players are looking at every other player like they're not good enough."
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
