, then we were in a good position. From that point he'd pick a more consistent 11 in the league to develop continuity. He spoke of the importance of our individual talent and how that would win games – but it was a team effort that would win us trophies. That individual talent was clear in the form of Ronaldo. By the end of February, he'd already scored 30 goals in all competitions. 'I know exactly what you want,' I remember saying to him in one of our sessions. 'Oh yeah? I'll say it. You want to be the best player in the world. And not once. Not twice. You want to establish yourself as one of the greatest of all-time... and that's great. You have a focus. You have an aim. And people who have an objective are much more successful than people who do not. So, the question is, where you are going and where you want to be, will you be considered that way tomorrow?' 'No,' he admitted. 'Next week?' 'No.' 'Next month?' 'No.' That's where the different conversations came in. He needed to be more effective in the deployment of his incredible gifts. He needed to score more goals to help United win more games. If he did that then United would surely win more trophies. And winning more trophies is part of the sequence of ach){kind=link}
In an extract from his new book, Rene Meulensteen: United, Sir Alex And Me, the former Manchester United assistant manager recalls his role in the development of Cristiano Ronaldo
In his first few seasons at Manchester United , Cristiano Ronaldo was a precocious talent that needed direction.
United knew he was special but also that he had to be honed and polished until the flawless diamond could sparkle.
When Rene Meulensteen became first-team coach in 2007, he knew where Ronaldo was headed and he recalls a conversation between the pair that shaped the future, taking Ronaldo from good to great to elite…
One of Sir Alex’s mantras was to say that if we were no more than five or six points behind the league leaders at the end of January (if we weren’t on top), then we were in a good position.