'I wouldn't be surprised if he still played when he was 40' - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tips Cristiano Ronaldo to play on

ByEurosport

Updated 25/09/2021 at 11:05 GMT

’I wouldn’t be surprised if he was still playing at 40, not at all,’’ Solskjaer said. ‘’The way he looks after himself, that’s the key, that’s the key to it all and, of course, some genes. There must be some genes in there! He has put every single ounce of energy and effort into becoming the player he is.."

Cristiano Ronaldo

Image credit: Getty Images

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to play into his 40s.

Ronaldo has made a seamless return to Old Trafford, scoring in each of the three games he has featured in since making the move from Juventus.

The Portuguese great sat out the loss to West Ham in the Carabao Cup in midweek, with Red Devils boss keen to manage the 36-year-old’s workload.

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Solskjaer feels because Ronaldo takes care of his body so well, he will be able to play on for at least another four years.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he still played when he was 40, not at all, because of the way he looks after himself," Solskjaer said. "That's the key to it - and of course some genes. There must be some genes as well, some DNA in there.

He has put every single ounce of energy and effort into becoming the player he is and has been, so he deserves every single little plaudit that he gets for his physical state.

"What's more impressive is when you have achieved as much as he has, he's still as hungry. His mentality is still absolutely spot-on and that's a desire from inside that he's going to keep going until his head says, 'no, I've given everything now'

"Hopefully it will last a few more years. Linford Christie was quite an age when he won his gold as well (Christie won the Olympic 100m in 1992 at the age of 32), so age is never a problem."

Ronaldo will look to extend his scoring run to four games in a row for United when they face Aston Villa on Saturday.

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