Ex-Arsenal star Theo Walcott namedrops Cristiano Ronaldo as he picks top three Manchester United players he played against

Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott has picked Cristiano Ronaldo among the three toughest Manchester United players he faced during his playing days. The 35-year-old faced the Red Devils 23 times, winning four, drawing eight, and losing 11 games.

Walcott netted 132 goals and provided 88 assists in 567 appearances in his career. He scored against the Manchester-based giants three times and provided two assists in that time.

Speaking to Bleacher Report, the former Arsenal forward recently named the top three Manchester United players he faced in his career, saying:

"Patrice Evra. The reason being he was not just a great defender, going forward, he was incredible. He really was, it was just so annoying to keep up with, so he'd be one."

He next picked the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, saying:

"The other one would be Cristiano Ronaldo, playing against him. I know, physically playing against him, but he was just incredible to be around. When you're trying to double up with him, with Justin Hoyte I remember he's just so hard to manage."

Walcott selected six-time English Premier League winner Rio Ferdinand as his final pick, saying:

"Rio Ferdinand was an incredible defender, probably one of England's best if not the best defender that's ever lived, actually, in the Premier League, for me, there's many of them and he's one of them. And Actually, playing with him for England."

Manchester United have found their fortunes much different in recent years and have failed to effectively challenge for the league since their 2013 triumph under Sir Alex Ferguson during his final season.

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Throwback to Cristiano Ronaldo's last match against Arsenal as a Manchester United player

The last time Cristiano Ronaldo faced Arsenal as a Manchester United player was in September 2022. The game ended in a 3-1 win in favor of the 20-time EPL winners.

After the match, the legendary striker posted on Instagram, saying:

"Well done, lads! And a very special thank you to our supporters! Let’s go, Devils!"

Talking about Cristiano Ronaldo after the match, Erik ten Hag said (via GOAL):

"As we all know, he (Ronaldo) didn’t have a pre-season and you cannot miss pre-season, it’s the base for everything, especially the way we play. We play another type of football compared to last year."

"The demands, the co-operation, the positioning, in and out of possession, and the fitness all depend on pre-season. I will be his friend and sometimes I will be his teacher, it depends on the situation."

The striker had his contract mutually terminated by Manchester United in December 2022 after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. He went on to join Saudi Pro-League side Al-Nassr and has scored 58 goals and provided 15 assists in 64 games for them.