Manchester United interim head coach Ralf Rangnick believes Cristiano Ronaldo can deal with the hostile atmosphere that will greet him against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Ronaldo is expected to lead the Man United line at Wanda Metropolitano, as Rangnick’s side face Atletico in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League contest.
The Portugal international has competed against the Roji Blancos on 35 occasions during his professional career, scoring 25 times, tackling the club during spells at Real Madrid and Juventus.
The Atletico fans are likely to give the 37-year-old a hostile reception on Wednesday night, but Rangnick will count on Ronaldo’s experience to deal with the atmosphere.
“We will see. Again, he’s got enough experience. He’s used to this sort of hostile atmosphere in his career so it shouldn’t impress him a lot. Again, for us, it’s about how we perform as a team. He cannot do it on his own. We have to perform on a high level as a team, like we did against Leeds [United], knowing the quality of Atletico is high,” Rangnick told reporters.
Ronaldo has scored 15 times in 28 appearances for Man United this season, including six goals in five Champions League outings.
