‘He looked angry’: Roy Keane hails Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘aggressive’ display in win against Tottenham

Roy Keane claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo ‘looked angry’ in his side’s win over Tottenham, as the Portuguese forward spurred them to victory.

The 37-year-old scored all three goals in his Manchester United‘s 3-2 win against Spurs on Saturday, including a sensational long range strike and a towering header to win the match.

Former United player, Roy Keane, said that he thinks Ronaldo looked ‘upset about something’ and that was what fuelled his exceptional performance. 

Roy Keane hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as a ‘genius’ after his hat-trick against Tottenham

Keane said Ronaldo (M) looked ‘angry’ during the game at Old Trafford on Saturday

Ronaldo caused a stir last weekend by flying home when he was ruled out of the Manchester derby with a hip flexor injury amid speculation he was unhappy about being a substitute. 

Speaking after the win over Spurs, Keane said: ‘That’s where United are at. We’ve seen the quality of both teams wasn’t that great, but it was entertaining and Ronaldo stepped up to the plate. He looked angry today, a lot of aggression in his play.’

‘Whatever’s gone on in the last week or two, he’s obviously upset with something. But he showed today what we’ve seen over the years, the guy’s a genius. He’s brilliant. 

‘He brings so much to this team. Why do people think Ronaldo can’t play in this team or that he can’t add value? The performance wasn’t fantastic but they got the job done and won it.’

The Portuguese forward gave his side the lead three times throughout the match, after a Harry Kane penalty and a Harry Maguire own goal pulled Spurs level.

The forward was a doubt for the game after injuring his hip flexor, which saw him miss out on the 4-1 drubbing against rivals Manchester City. 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second hat-trick of his Manchester United career on Saturday

There were questions over Ronaldo’s status at the club after he was excluded for crucial games against Chelsea and Manchester City earlier in the season. 

But the 50-year-old pundit went on to argue that Manchester United should do all they can to ensure Ronaldo stays at the club next year. 

Keane said: ‘You need Ronaldo in your team, when he’s producing like that. Has Ronaldo been at his absolute best this season? Probably not, he’s missed a number of chances. 

‘But I still think if Ronaldo’s in your team, whatever way you’re set up, you’ve got a better chance of winning football matches.’

United interim manager Ralf Rangnick admitted that managing Ronaldo is ‘a challenge’, having previously revealed that he did not know about the player’s flit home.

But United’s interim boss added: ‘We were just joking and maybe it makes sense to send him to Portugal for three days, then have him not training for two days, then have him back training on Thursday, if that’s the way he performs. Maybe we’ll have to do that for the rest of the season.

‘He was on a similar level in training on Thursday by the way, which is why I decided after that training session to play him from the start.

‘He made the difference for sure, but not only for the three goals. That was the best performance from him, at least since I arrived here, on and off the ball.’

Ronaldo’s hat-trick earned United a crucial 3-2 victory over Tottenham on Saturday night

He had caused a stir last week by returning to Portugal after missing the Manchester derby

Asked about managing a player like Ronaldo, Rangnick said: ‘Yeah it is challenging. It’s a challenge with a player like him.

‘But he showed today that he’s still got the quality to play for a club like Manchester United. If we want to be successful at the end of the season, we have to do it together.

‘He showed that he is physically able to do that, but we also have to admit he has not always been like that the past couple of weeks and months.’

But Rangnick hailed him for putting in ‘the best performance’ since he arrived at Old Trafford