Cristiano Ronaldo dubbed the 'ultimate striker' as ex-Man United teammate explains his struggles

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has labelled Cristiano Ronaldo the 'ultimate striker' but has admitted the Portugal international found it tough to adapt when he first moved to England.

Ronaldo is United's leading goalscorer this season but has still found himself coming in for heavy criticism. The 37-year-old has been accused of not offering enough to the team when he's struggling in front of goal, though Louis Saha has moved to defend his former colleague.

When asked to describe his experience of playing alongside Ronaldo, Saha told talkSPORT.com with FreeBets.com : "Brilliant [his and Ronaldo's relationship]. He was younger, obviously, he was a superstar already.

"He was very confident but at the same time it was harder for him to control himself because the players who were part of the spirit of the club couldn’t understand everything that Cristiano Ronaldo was bringing. He was kind of trying to defend himself all the time.

"I had some really nice spells with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney by my side, it was unbelievable. I see him today as like the ultimate striker, he is unbelievable."

Ronaldo missed the Manchester derby defeat on Sunday due to a hip flexor issue. He was back in training at Carrington this week and is expected to make his return to the side against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.