Sir Alex Ferguson defends Cristiano Ronaldo's US trip
Ronaldo's trip to the US has been a daily feature in the newspapers
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Sunday, 27, Jul 2008 03:22
Sir Alex Ferguson has said that reports that Cristiano Ronaldo has been partying excessively during his rehabilitation from ankle surgery are "a load of rubbish".
The Portuguese winger's trip to Los Angeles has made the papers on an almost daily basis, but Ferguson insists he has no problems with the 23-year-old.
"He was always scheduled to have this time off in Los Angeles. There was no harm in going there," said Ferguson.
"He was doing some commercial things. We have someone out there with him.
"All the stuff we have been seeing of him, well, it's a load of rubbish. He's not a drinker for a start.
"There was a report he had been drinking vodka but I spoke to the person we have with him and he said it's rubbish. He is not drinking. It's absolute nonsense."
The Scot refused to be drawn on comparisons between Ronaldo and David Beckham, whose showbusiness lifestyle was thought to be one of the reasons that Ferguson sold him to Real Madrid.
"As far as comparisons with him [Ronaldo] and David Beckham are concerned, I am not going to discuss that," said Ferguson.
"Any young player is going to get attention. The important thing is how they handle that.
"We know success changes people but the change you like to see is an elevation in esteem and personality, which makes them better players a lot of the time."
He continued: "Cristiano is now reaching that stage with his maturity, personality and the presence he has had on the world stage. We should help him."