'It needs to be addressed' – Sir Alex Ferguson’s ex-assistant makes Ronaldo thoughts clear

Rene Meulensteen has delivered a blunt assessment of Cristiano Ronaldo's performances for Portugal in Euro 2024.

Meulensteen, an ex-Manchester United first-team coach and confidant to Sir Alex Ferguson, who worked with Ronaldo at Old Trafford, gave his thoughts during an appearance on talkSPORT. The Dutchman expressed concern over Ronaldo's free-kick record and suggested that Portugal manager Roberto Martinez needs to tackle the issue.

He also pointed out that the game seems to be slipping away from the veteran footballer, reports the Mirror. During the interview, talkSPORT co-host Alex Crooks questioned Meulensteen about Ronaldo's impact on the national team:

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Crook asked: "Are they a better team without him in it, Portugal? He takes every free kick, blazes every free kick into the stands."

Meulensteen acknowledged the need for a change, saying: "Yeah well, that to me is something I think that needs to be addressed because the stats don't help."

Meulensteen also touched upon Ronaldo's emotional reaction during the round of 16 match against Slovenia, where he was visibly upset after his penalty was saved by Jan Oblak but later scored in the shoot-out.

Reflecting on the situation, Meulensteen remarked: "Well, it's all about perception isn't it? First of all, I thought when that penalty shoot-out came about, I thought this is going to be interesting because he's only going to take one or another penalty he's either the first one or number five, the last one.

"And I was pleasantly surprised for him to step