Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has heaped praise on teammate Cristiano Ronaldo's work ethic and professionalism. The Frenchman, however, snubbed him while naming the best player he has played alongside.
Martial applauded Ronaldo's down-to-earth nature and his ability to put in hours in training. Speaking to France Football (via Hindustan Times), he was quoted as saying the following:
"He’s super humble – and what a hard worker! We often speak when we are at the gym in the morning before going to training and I would watch what he was doing. That’s only logical, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo!"
Despite all the positives Martial said about Ronaldo, the French international instead picked Wayne Rooney as the best player he has played alongside. The former England international was the former Monaco star's teammate during the twilight of his Manchester United career.
Martial recollects how Wayne Rooney put the team first and gave it all on the pitch. Speaking about the former United captain, the Frenchman said:
"We have spoken about being genuine and so I can speak about Wayne Rooney. He’s the best player I have played with. He’s always playing for the team, always at 100%, no fuss. A monster. And a model as a footballer."
Martial has found a second life at Manchester United since the arrival of Erik ten Hag. The French international impressed in pre-season which convinced Ten Hag to keep him in the squad for the 2022-23 season.
This was despite his failure at Sevilla on loan during the second half of the season. Martial had a torrid time in Spain, netting just once from 12 appearances for Sevilla.
Anthony Martial's resurgence has been bad news for Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United
Erik ten Hag has shown that he prefers to play with an attacking trio comprising of pacy and energetic forwards. Anthony Martial falls into a similar category which is therefore bad news for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has fallen down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag with the likes of Anthony Elanga and Marcus Rashford ahead of him. Manchester United also splashed the cash to bring in Antony from AFC Ajax.
As things stand, Ronaldo has started just two games for Manchester United. One was in the Premier League where United lost 4-0 against Brentford. The second time was against Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League where the Red Devils suffered a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.