It is often said about the Class of ‘92 at Manchester United that a major reason why that group of youngsters became world-class superstars is due to the presence of characters in the dressing room.
Eric Cantona was chief among them. Many players from Class of ‘92, like Giggs, Neville brothers have alluded to the fact that the standards which the Frenchman Cantona set in the dressing room were something they took up quite early in their career. Cantona’s drive to be the best, his insatiable thirst for winning, his insane competitiveness helped those youngsters see what it takes to be a top professional. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that for young players, proper professionals in the dressing room is as important, probably more, as their own hard work.
“The enigma that was around Eric. The way that he was, he was different early on in the Premier League and we hadn’t seen anything like it. As a teammate, he was brilliant. Obviously, on the pitch, it is well documented with important goals he came out with. That is the sign of a big player and a great player to come up with the goods when you need them. He so often did.
“Away from that, he was a really good trainer. Whenever we would go out for a meal or a few drinks he would always be there,” Giggs told TalkSport in an interview. There are others too who laud the impact that the charismatic Frenchman’s professionalism had on their impressionable young careers.
It is good then, for Man Utd, that they have the epitome of professionalism in their dressing room now.
Ronaldo=Cantona 2.0?
When Cristiano Ronaldo was signed back by Manchester United, there was a wave of euphoria in the ranks at the club. Within the club, it was a no-brainer, even more so when reports of him going to city rivals Manchester City emerged. However, from the outside looking in, there was a perception that Ronaldo was not what United needed. While it has a ring of truth to it, United still lacks an able defensive midfielder, Ronaldo’s impact could be Cantona-like on this emerging group of superstars at Old Trafford.
As expected, his on-pitch contributions have lived up to the expectations, probably blew past them too. The Portuguese maverick sits at 6 goals from just 8 appearances at his new club, with most of those goals coming in crucial moments, most memorably his recent winner against Atalanta. However, it is his off-field contributions that are most likely to be felt for a long time.
Already, reports have emerged that his presence on the training pitch has raised the standards at the club. His maniacal attention to diet led Lee Grant to joke that players had stopped eating desserts during their meals because Ronaldo didn’t eat his. While this was indeed taken as a joke, this was just another example of the impact Ronaldo is having on the daily life of players at Old Trafford.
United have a lot of exciting talent in their ranks. The likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Elanga, Amad Diallo, and recent signing Jadon Sancho are all at a stage of their career where they are at their most impressionable. For United, the signing of Ronaldo couldn’t have come at a better time.
Rashford had already said earlier that Cristiano Ronaldo was someone he looked up to as he came through the ranks. Even Jesse Lingard, on the slightly older side than the names mentioned, has videos where a noodle-haired Ronaldo is teaching the tricks of the trade to a young Lingard.
It is no coincidence that Lingard rejected the chance to move from Old Trafford this summer and started the season on fire. The whole place has been rejuvenated by his arrival.
New signing Jadon Sancho has zero goals and assists so far for Man Utd. Stuff like this has gone under the radar because Ronaldo has taken all the spotlight off of him. The fact that there is more discussion on Ronaldo’s lack of pressing as an attacker than Sancho’s zero output as an attacker speaks volumes of the importance of having Ronaldo.
Youngsters rise to his standards
The intangibles separate the best from the rest, and Ronaldo, at 36-years-old, remains the master of these intangibles. If the young players around him soak up his presence and maybe adopt his workings into their daily lives, there is no limit as to how far already precocious talents like Mason Greenwood can go.
It is guaranteed that the driven Portuguese will demand high standards from his teammates. Signings like these, beyond the obvious commercial aspect, have the chance to leave a mark on the youngsters of this team.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rashford doing “Ronaldo chop” in the few years before cutting in on his right foot to unleash a drive in the far corner, or to see Greenwood ghost at the far post on pure instinct to get a poacher’s goal. After all, they would have learned from the best.
United have not started the season in optimum form, with discouraging losses also piling the pressure on the manager and there is noise regarding Ronaldo’s role in the team right now.
However, it is undoubtedly in the coming years, maybe even after he leaves, that the true impact of his signing will be felt. Eric Cantona left United in 1997, the youngsters around him were the spine of the team that won the treble 2 years later. How Manchester United would love to have a repeat of that tale!