Manchester United coach Mike Phelan has lifted the lid on how he helped Cristiano Ronaldo become one of the best players in the world.
The Juventus star moved to United from Sporting Lisbon at the age of just 18 but was instantly a hit at Old Trafford, and he spent six hugely successful seasons at the club before moving onto Real Madrid.
Phelan was Sir Alex Ferguson's right-hand man at the time, and speaking to The Coaching Manual he explained that pushed Ronaldo to do things that he was not keen to initially. "Ronaldo stood out," Phelan said. "He was like a sponge.
He wanted more (advice from the team's coaches). He challenged you for more. "We had to try and get Cristiano to be a team player and he got it.