“Always easy, especially for those who stopped playing” – Thiago Silva hits back at Scholes for claiming Cristiano Ronaldo will have it 'easy' against him

Thiago Silva has hit back at Paul Scholes who claimed that it would be easy for Cristiano Ronaldo to play against the defender.

Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United midfielder Scholes had said before Chelsea’s clash with the Red Devils that Ronaldo should have started against Chelsea. He also said that Ronaldo has a wealth of experience playing against some of the best defenders in the world. So he could find himself at ease against a 37-year old Thiago Silva.

Silva took a jibe at Scholes on Instagram, saying that playing against him is always an easy job for players like the latter who has 'stopped playing':

"It is always easy , especially for those who have stopped playing !!," wrote the Chelsea defender.

As things turned out, Ronaldo did not start the match, and was instead brought on in the 61st minute. Chelsea conceded the first goal of the match, but dominated proceedings for large swathes.

Ronaldo looked a frustrated figure at Stamford Bridge, and walked straight into the tunnel once the game was over.

The Portuguese failed to score and was hardly at the end of a single recognisable chance. The game ended 1-1 following a calm Jorginho penalty in the 69th minute, Chelsea are still at the top of the EPL table, but they now lead Manchester City by a solitary point.

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Cristiano Ronaldo still believes Manchester United can win trophies this season

In a recent Instagram post, Cristiano Ronaldo hit back at claims that his only ambition in football was to win more Ballon d’Or awards than Lionel Messi. The Argentine won his seventh Ballon d'Or award on Monday, moving two clear of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo also said in the Instagram post that United can still contend for trophies, and it was not impossible for them to win a few this season.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has arrived at Manchester United without a trophy-laden CV. However, he comes with clear tactics and playing philosophy. There is little doubt United have a squad capable of contending for trophies. Multiple players have looked out of form and out of confidence in recent months, which is concerning, though.

That notably includes club captain Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw, who was arguably the best left-back in the Premier League last season. United have a range of top-quality players who have not performed anywhere close to expected levels in recent weeks.

Under caretaker manager Michael Carrick, United have shown some improvement in the last two games. They defended well against Chelsea, and Scholes said that against Villareal, United performed their positional jobs well enough to chalk out a 2-0 victory.

However, interim manager Ralf Rangick has a huge job before him as he attempts to turn around the club's stuttering fortunes. Before the German tactician sets about doing that job, the challenge might be to simply inspire Manchester United players to perform at their optimum levels again.