"He's in spectacular shape" - Portugal star lauds 'phenomenal' Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup 

Portugal star Ruben Neves has hailed teammate Cristiano Ronaldo's physique ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder claims that the Manchester United star is in spectacular shape for this year's edition of the prestigious tournament.

Portugal have named a strong and talented squad for this year's FIFA World Cup. The Selecao boast some of Europe's top talents, including Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, Rafael Leao, and of course their revered captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has had major issues at Old Trafford this season. Cristiano Ronaldo recently gave a scathing Manchester United interview with Piers Morgan. The Portuguese superstar hit out at the club's owners, manager Erik ten Hag, and former teammates.

He also spoke about his lack of game time under Ten Hag as he claimed that the Dutch boss disrespected him (via the Piers Morgan Uncensored Twitter account).

Ronaldo's recent woes at Old Trafford both on and off the pitch have led to speculation that the 37-year-old forward might not be at his best.

However, Neves has dismissed these claims. He said at a press conference in Qatar ahead of the FIFA World Cup (via the Evening Standard):

“From what I've seen in training, he's in spectacular shape. He doesn't worry us at all, we as a team know perfectly well what we need to work on so that each individual stands out on gameday. If we're good as a team, Cristiano will be phenomenal.”

"I don't think there's any controversy" - Portugal star opens up about Cristiano Ronaldo interview ahead of FIFA World Cup

Neves then spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview with Piers Morgan. The Wolves midfielder insists that the Portugal dressing room remains undistracted and focused on this year's FIFA World Cup.

He said (via the aforementioned Evening Standard report):

“Sure, it's impossible for us to walk around without being asked about the controversy, but I don't think there's any controversy at all between us in the changing room. We have a spectacular environment right here."

Ronaldo missed Portugal's training sessions earlier this week as well as their warm-up friendly against Nigeria due to a stomach bug. However, pictures from their training session yesterday (19 November) seemed to show that the forward has returned, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Portugal will play out their World Cup opener against Ghana on 24 November. It remains to be seen whether the Red Devils forward will feature in the encounter.