“That’s what the great players do” – Paul Ince highlights key attribute Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi specializes in

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are great players because they always get their teams out of trouble. That's according to former Manchester United star Paul Ince, who made the statement while defending the signing of Ronaldo against critical comments from Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.

Carragher and former Red Devils midfielder Roy Keane recently had an argument over the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford. The former opined that the signing of the Portuguese was meant to help Manchester United win the Premier League title, while the latter disagreed.

Paul Ince has backed Roy Keane's opinion by highlighting what separates players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from the rest. According to him, the legendary duo are great because they get their teams out of trouble and not only because of winning titles.

He explained: "I disagree with Carragher. Roy Keane is spot on. Ronaldo is the one who gets teams out of trouble."

"He’s done it all his life. He did it for Portugal when they won the Euros. That’s what he specializes in. That’s what Messi does. That’s what the great players do."

Paul Ince went further by claiming Manchester United's problem isn't Cristiano Ronaldo but their midfield, adding that the Portuguese signing wasn't a guarantee of winning the Premier League.

"At the end of the day, if you analyze the United team, it doesn’t matter whether you sign Ronaldo or whether you sign Haaland from Dortmund, the issue has always been the midfield area."

"Man United signing Ronaldo wasn’t going to guarantee a Premier League title, it was to try and get closer to teams like City, Liverpool and Chelsea."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

How Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have fared this season

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are still going strong despite already being in the final phase of their careers. CR7 has been a huge force to be reckoned with since returning to Old Trafford, bagging 12 goals and two assists in 17 games in all competitions.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has a record of four goals and three assists for Paris Saint-Germain across all fronts since joining the Ligue 1 giants in the summer. It remains to be seen how many goals both players will conclude the campaign with.