Give us more, Ronaldo

Teammates urge Man U winger to continue his superb show in the game against Reading

Cristiano Ronaldo is being urged by his team-mates to continue his thrilling form as Manchester United look to strengthen their grip on English Premiership top spot at home to Reading this Saturday.

Ronaldo was public enemy number one with many English fans before the season started for his role in the sending-off of United team-mate Wayne Rooney during Portugal’s World Cup quarter-final win against England.

But the 21-year-old winger has been forgiven at Old Trafford, if not elsewhere, after scoring 10 goals so far this season - including four in United’s last two matches, against Aston Villa and Wigan. His tally and greater effectiveness in open play, where his ball trickery is now often a means to a productive end and not an end in itself, have helped his side open up a four-point gap over second-placed champions Chelsea.

Now Ronaldo is just five goals away from reaching the pre-season target set by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. However, United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar said there was even more to come from Ronaldo.

“Ronny is in a good spell. He has been scoring goals and playing well for a couple of months,” said the Dutchman.

“The manager has made a target of 15 goals for him this season, but I think we should maybe lift that a little bit now,” van der Sar said. “If he gets to 20 then, for sure, we will have a good chance (of winning the title) this season.”

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson last week reacted angrily to suggestions his side lacked the strength in depth to match the current champions Chelsea over the course of the season.

Ferguson’s fringe players have been compared unfavourably to the high-profile resources available to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, particularly when the two sides fought out a 1-1 draw earlier in the campaign.

While Mourinho was able to name recognised match-winners like Arjen Robben and Joe Cole among his substitutes, Ferguson’s options paled in comparison prompting suggestions that injuries and suspensions would derail United’s bid to regain the title for the first time in four seasons. But having seen his side extend their lead at the head of the table to four points when an unfamiliar looking starting line-up including non-regulars Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher, Park Ji-Sung, Mikael Silvestre and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer easily beat Wigan, Ferguson is set to standby his stand-ins against Reading.

“We are coming to the part of the season where we have to utilise the squad and I need to show some of the players, who haven’t been in the team regularly, that I have confidence in them and that I trust them,” Ferguson said. “I want them to feel they made a contribution. I also need them to have minutes on the clock in case we do pick up injuries and suspensions.”

And centre-back Brown echoed his manager’s sentiments. “A few of us who have not played came in and in the end we got a good result,” the defender said. “The players who have not been playing did well and proved we are as good. When you are called upon, you have to be ready. It will be the squad that wins the title.”

While United were beating Wigan, Reading held second-placed Chelsea to a shock 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge and Ferguson admits Steve Coppell’s newly promoted side pose a threat to his team’s ambitions.

“We have to be wary of Reading,” Ferguson added. “I wasn’t really surprised by the way they performed at Chelsea, although I was pleasantly delighted by the result. It just reinforced what we will have to do this weekend.”

Coppell’s side lie ninth after an impressive first half of the campaign but the manager fears the resurgent Ronaldo could dent Reading’s hopes of repeating their efforts against Chelsea. Coppell, himself a former Manchester United and England winger, said: “Not only does he provide goals but he is such a strong goalscorer himself. He is the current player, more than any other, who is right at the top of his game.

“And not only is he a terrific player but a huge physical specimen as well. He has got to be nearly 6ft 3ins and weight 13 or 14 stones. He has a quick left foot and right foot so the list is endless and his qualities are immense.

“He is unique in the way he controls the ball with his step-overs and you can almost guarantee that every week you will see a trick on the ball that no-one else appears to do.”