A teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo’s in the Portugal team, Ruben Neves, has insisted that the Manchester United star is fit and ready for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Neves says his captain is in ‘spectacular’ shape ahead of Portugal’s opening match against Ghana on Thursday.
Although Ronaldo has struggled for form at United and missed the friendly against Nigeria three days ago with a stomach bug, Neves dismissed any speculation that 37-year-old forward was not in peak form, saying he looked like his old self in training.
“From what I’ve seen in training, he’s in spectacular shape,” Neves told a news conference in Qatar today.
“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 game day.
“If we’re good as a team, Cristiano will be phenomenal.”
Ronaldo is unlikely to return to United after the World Cup following an explosive TV interview in which he said he had been betrayed by the club and was being forced out.
Neves says the heat generated by the interview has not been a distraction in the Portugal camp.
“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,” the 25-year-old Neves added.
“We have a spectacular environment right here.”
After missing the 4-0 friendly win over the Super Eagles in Lisbon, Ronaldo trained normally yesterday, interacting freely with his teammates.
Portugal are in Group H in Qatar with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.
