must surely have hoped Ronaldo would contribute more goals to the team. In these early months of his career in England, it was easy to forget that Ronaldo was still so young and the United supporters needed to be patient with him. Ferguson rarely misjudges young footballers and he certainly did not on this occasion. His main concern was that Ronaldo did not burn out, but with the United squad so badly hit by injuries, the heavy fixture list left Sir Alex with little choice.
The United manager explained to the media that he wanted to give his winger a rest, once the congested Christmas fixture list had finished, to prevent Cristiano from suffering with exhaustion, ‘He is only 18 and we have to be careful how we use him. The secret will be giving him a good long rest, maybe for about three weeks, which will allow him to come on again later in the season.’
It is always a delicate situation for a manager – the dilemma of whether to rest a young player with a view to the future or to play him regularly to aim for short-term success. Ferguson was lucky enough to have able deputies, and this made his choice easier.
It was strange for Ronaldo not to have the luxury of a winter break. He had been accustomed to a rest over the Christmas period back in Portugal, but found that in England the fixture list actually became more congested at that time of year. It made little sense and came as a bit of shock to Cristiano, but he put his gloves on and faced the worst of the English winter. It was all part of the learning experience, and it was something that he had to get used to because there was no sign of the FA adopting the winter break any time soon.
Bad news arrived for United in December, in the shape of Rio Ferdinand’s eight-month suspension for missing a drugs test. Ferdinand received a £50,000 fine, along with the ban, after the verdict of a three-man FA disciplinary panel. The ban was due to begin on 12 January. The club made it clear that they would appeal and, if an appeal was lodged, the defender would be able to keep playing until the issue was resolved. It was a bitter blow for the team, but Ronaldo tried to think positively about Rio’s absence. The two had struck up a good friendship and got on very well. Of his new team-mate, Cristiano said, ‘Ferdinand is a great player, one of the best defenders in the world, and an athlete of his quality is always needed. Still, Manchester United has many good players and there will be valid alternatives to fill his spot.’ Speaking at the time of year when presents are traditionally handed out, he also mentioned his own aim for the season, ‘The best gift for me this season would be to be selected for Portugal’s squad in Euro 2004. That is the big objective of any player.’
Though United trailed in the title race, the players proved that they were still capable of some stunning performances. After a weakened side lost to West Brom in the Carling Cup, the team won eight games in a row in all competitions to hit back at the critics. Ronaldo, who may have expected to be used mainly as a substitute in his first season in England, was regularly playing the full 90 minutes and entertaining crowds up and down the country with his footwork. As usual with United, the Christmas period had brought out their best displays, with the team taking maximum points. Yet there still remained a feeling that the club’s weaknesses could be exploited, and Arsenal’s exceptional form showed no signs of fading as they stretched their unbeaten run.
Further disappointment for Ronaldo came from the fact that some were critical of Ferguson’s new signings because they had not had an instant, brilliant impact. While Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson had failed to live up to expectations, Cristiano had shown patches of excellent football. Yet he still seemed to be carrying some blame for the side’s inability to reach the heights of the previous season. This view, though it may have had some merit, appeared to overlook the injury problems at the club and the need for the younger players to settle at Old Trafford. To expect Ronaldo to lead United’s title charge in his first Premiership season, and at such a young age, was massively unrealistic.
Cristiano put in one of his most gutsy performances of the season away to Everton on Boxing Day. United desperately needed the points and Ronaldo showed great resilience to overcome some very physical marking. Gary Neville praised the winger’s courage, ‘Cristiano Ronaldo was brilliant. He was a constant danger. He takes the ball all the time. No matter if he loses, or he gets fouled, he comes back for more. He is a really brave player. He had a few lumps kicked out of him but people can never question his bravery.’ Neville even admitted that he would be tempted to put a few kicks in on Ronaldo if he was facing him because the youngster’s skills were so dazzling.
Ronaldo had always taken the physical challenges as a compliment to the threat that he poses to opposition sides. It was an extra challenge for him to overcome to prove his quality. He explained his point in the media, ‘When defenders think there is a player capable of creating danger, they try to stop him no matter what, and often that means fouling him. When defenders get so aggressive, it just proves that they are worried about a player because he is quick and skilful.’ While such tussles left Cristiano with cuts and bruises, he enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that the opposition had been afraid of his ability.
The New Year saw the continuation of Sir Alex’s on-going row with John Magnier and JP McManus, whose company, Cubic Expression, owned over 25 per cent of United. The quarrel escalated due to disagreements over the ownership of the racehorse Rock of Gibraltar. Ferguson claimed he had been offered a half-share in the horse, which went on to achieve great success and earn in the region of £150 million. The dispute became rather nasty, and it was an unwanted distraction for Sir Alex. He had enough problems on his plate.
January and February ended any realistic hope of United catching Arsenal at the top of the Premiership, much to Ronaldo’s frustration. January began well for the team with a 2-1 win away to Aston Villa in the FA Cup – Villa Park has often been a happy hunting ground for the Reds – and United were hopeful of enjoying a long run in the competition. Another good win, again away from home, in the Premiership against Bolton suggested that the players had carried their Christmas form into the New Year. Ronaldo felt that United could at the very least apply pressure to Arsenal in the hope that they could claw themselves back into contention.
But their Premiership form soon fell away again. A disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle was followed by a devastating 1-0 loss to lowly Wolves at Molineux on 17 January, where Ronaldo toiled to produce chances that were not converted. It seemed that at times he was on a different wavelength to the team’s strikers, and this explained some of the side’s scoring problems. Louis Saha arrived from Fulham for around £13 million in the January transfer window, and it would take time for him to settle at the club. His form so far during the campaign suggested he would score plenty of goals at the Theatre of Dreams. But he had come in at a tricky time with United’s form wobbling badly.
The gap at the top increased further due to these slip-ups, and Arsenal must have been laughing at United’s inconsistency. It frustrated everybody at Old Trafford that the players were not putting Arsenal under any pressure – if anything they were gifting the Gunners an advantage. The defeat away to Wolves had been an initial sign of trouble before United conceded eight goals in their next three league matches, winning two and losing at home to Middlesbrough.
On a more positive note, Ronaldo and his team-mates kept up their pursuit of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win over Northampton on 25 January and it seemed as though this was the only competition in which United could play consistently well. In a second-string line-up, Ronaldo was the star of the show. He relished taking on the Northampton defenders and tied them in knots with his skills. His threat led to him being fouled in the area – though contact was minimal – but Forlan missed the spot-kick. Ronaldo did not end up on the scoresheet, yet he was seemingly everywhere, crafting United’s best moments and exploiting the tiring legs of the opposition. Against the same team that George Best had fired six goals in a single afternoon, the current United number 7 was fittingly the key man.
United were involved in some thrilling contests. Defensively, though, they were stretched by an injury to Gary Neville and the suspension of Rio Ferdinand. It led to some confusion in the back four, and the team found themselves having to score more goals to win games. At home to Southampton, United conceded two but scored three to seal a less than convincing win. Louis Saha scored on his United debut, but Old Trafford was somewhat stunned by the side’s current vulnerability. The untried back four of O’Shea, Brown, Silvestre and Fortune struggled to deal with an