Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes are leading by example and inspiring the Manchester United players around them to achieve more.
That is according to Brazilian duo Fred and Alex Telles, two of the current crop of United stars that share a dressing room with their Portuguese counterparts.
While United’s squad boasts an extraordinary amount of match-winners, making their early season struggles all the more baffling, it is either Ronaldo or Fernandes – sometimes even both, that will most often come to their rescue.
Look no further than last week’s dramatic five-goal thriller against long-time rivals Arsenal, awoken out of their early slumber by the sense of injustice surrounding the Gunners first, a Fernandes equaliser followed by Ronaldo’s brace ensured all three points remained in Manchester.
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Such is the level of Ronaldo’s brilliance, his first and second goals of the evening marked the 800th and 801st of an illustrious career.
After 12 years away from the club that made him on the world stage, Ronaldo enjoyed a triumphant return to Old Trafford earlier this season, coming back to a rock-star’s reception in terms of adulation and fanfare.
His performances on the pitch quickly justified the frenzied excitement over his signing, with two goals on his debut followed by more Champions League heroics.
However, it is his impact in the dressing room that has impressed his teammates, with both Fred and Telles citing the importance of having someone with Ronaldo’s mentality around the place.
“His impact was very positive,” Fred told ESPN Brasil.
“It’s obvious that in the first games, it was difficult for us, we had some defeats in some big matches, but I think his impact was very positive because a quality player, as great as Cristiano, being able to share the locker room, being able to have a day-to-day life with him, is very important.
“It’s like I say, it’s hard for you to get there, but it’s even harder to keep up, and he stayed on top, he works for it. It’s an honour to be able to work with him, to be able to share the locker room.”
The Brazilian midfielder’s sentiments were echoed by fellow countryman Telles, who explained how even when Ronaldo is on the bench he is still on constant communication with those on the pitch as he warms up.
“He’s a very involved guy, as everyone already knows. He’s a winning guy, who has reached the maximum level, and to reach his level he has to be very competitive.
“Whether he’s playing or not, he’s a guy who is always involved. On the pitch you have a vision, and outside another, you can see the game better.
“Him warming up, obviously, when I was close to him, he said some things that he saw were more important, in short, to cross or not, pass or not, go on and on, press on.
“These things that, normally, those out of the pitch have this vision. We on the field, more tired, with the pressure of the opponent, it becomes more difficult.
“He really gives this positive help and he just wanted to help and it’s very positive for all of us.”
Fred went on to reveal how both Ronaldo and Fernandes would regularly challenge their teammates during the ill-fated run of form earlier this season that saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked.
“Everyone wants to have a great performance, both for themselves and the group, and if something goes wrong, we’ll demand from ourselves,” he added.
“We had some defeats, after the games we questioned ourselves there in the dressing room, he challenged the others, Bruno [Fernandes] challenged the others, I did, I demanded from myself too, I could have done better.
“So this is normal, if the performance isn’t good, you have to have this self-criticism, for yourself as well as for others.”
Both Fred and Telles featured in Ralf Rangnick’s first game as United interim boss, with the former notching the only goal of the game against Crystal Palace.
The victory saw United leapfrog Arsenal in the table, the Red Devils now sitting in sixth after 15 games played.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes making challenging demands in Man Utd dressing room
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