Sir Alex Ferguson believes the hype which
surrounds Cristiano Ronaldo needs to be toned down.
The Portuguese superstar enjoyed a phenomenal 2007/08 campaign,
helping Manchester United to Premier League and UEFA Champions
League glory.
His 42 goals from the wing played a major role in those
successes and ultimately landed him the Ballon d'Or and Fifa World
Player of the Year awards.
He has failed to scale those heights again this term and only
passed into double figures for the season with a late penalty in
Tuesday's Carling Cup semi-final success over Derby.
Ferguson, though, insists the 23-year-old is not suffering from
a confidence crisis and has called for those placing unrealistic
expectations on Ronaldo's shoulders to gain a sense of
perspective.
"You do have these exceptional seasons," said the Scot.
"But it is very hard to replicate them every year. I remember
Ruud van Nistelrooy got 44 one year - the next it was 30, and he is
a centre-forward.
"Ronaldo is a very confident lad and has belief in his own
ability.
"Yes, he has been missing a few chances that he was putting away
last season but he has made 10 goals for us this year and scored
another 10.
"At the end of the season I am sure he will be over 20 and that
is a fantastic return for a winger."