Manchester City boss Mark Hughes believes the technique of
Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick taking could spell knee trouble for
the Manchester United star.
Hughes said: "Ronaldo uses a completely different technique to
anyone else. He doesn’t go for spin but lets the flight and the
pace of the ball through the air do the damage.
"I don’t know if he can maintain it through his career. He might
bear the consequences of it because it’s an unnatural movement.
Hopefully, he is strong enough and works to build the strength in
and around the knee. I would have been in desperate trouble if I’d
tried to do it."
Hughes said goalkeeper Shay Given had been practising against
simulated Ronaldo-style free-kicks this week — but admitted it was
no guarantee of success.
He added: "Ronaldo has an outstanding talent. The freekicks are
so difficult to read.
"He’s also an intelligent footballer, and football intelligence
is something you want to see from your players."
