Cristiano Ronaldo news: Jonathan Spector credits Manchester United for shaping Juventus ace

What's the story?

Former Manchester United player, Jonathan Spector, has said that Cristiano Ronaldo was a frustrating player during his initial years at Old Trafford. However, Spector credits the club and manager who have played a huge role in Ronaldo's development.

In case you didn't know...

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Sporting in the summer transfer window of 2003 and he enjoyed a great spell at the Old Trafford. The Portuguese international played 196 league games for the Reds Devils, scoring 84 goals in the process.

He helped the Manchester-based club win numerous trophies, including three Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy. The 34-year-old also old won his first Ballon d'Or while playing for the Red Devils in 2008.

Ronaldo left the English club to join Real Madrid in 2009 before signing for Juventus in 2018.

On the other hand, Jonathan Spector played just three league games for United between 2003 and 2006. He last played for Scottish Premiership side, Hibernian FC.

Also see : Manchester united Transfer News, Arsenal Transfer News, Liverpool Tranfer News

The heart of the matter

Speaking to AmericanGambler.com (via AS), former Manchester United defender, Jonathan Spector, first shared that Sir Alex Ferguson knew the best way of getting the best out of his players. Apart from the manager's influence, the club's players also played a part in Ronaldo's development.

Spector said that Cristiano Ronaldo was a frustrating player during his developmental years at Manchester United. He explained,

“He was a frustrating player. You could see that he had so much ability but that he wasn't a finished product just yet. I think he owes a lot for the player he is today not just to the manager but the players that were around him."

“Ferguson did a great job of having players in the team that could help the players around them, make everyone around them better players. I think those formative years in his development to make him the finished product; he couldn't have been at a better place that Manchester United."

Spector added,

“You could see his final ball wouldn't quite be there, you could see at times Ruud Van Nistelrooy might get really frustrated because he didn't know how many step-overs Ronaldo was going to do before putting the ball into the box for him but his ability on the ball, to beat players one-on-one, it was clear to see that he was going to be a very special player.”

Thanks to the club and the manager, Ronaldo truly has transformed to become one of the best in the world.