Sir Alex Defends Ronaldo reaction

Sir Alex Ferguson explained Cristiano Ronaldo’s frustrated response to being substituted in the second half against Manchester City as the winger’s determination to play.

Ronaldo was clearly disappointed at his early departure from the action, after setting United on the way to a comfortable 2-0 win in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, but Sir Alex believes it was a healthy reaction.

“He wanted to stay on, that’s the simple reason,” said the boss. “He’s in great form, but I have got to look at the bigger picture. He had an incredible performance at Arsenal in midweek, he ran his socks off. We have to think about how we get through our games and keeping him fresh.

“It’s great when players want to play. Take Jonny Evans, who was taken ill this morning. We put him on medication but he still said he wanted to play. He was feeling his hamstring at half time but again he wanted to play on. That’s the guts you want. I brought him off because I can’t take chances at this stage of the season.”

Ronaldo was clearly disappointed after being replaced by Paul Scholes in the second half at the Manchester derby