Harry Redknapp and Garth Crooks agree on ‘unbelievable’ Man Utd star after Everton win

Harry Redknapp and Garth Crooks have both hailed Cristiano Ronaldo for his influential cameo in Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Everton on Sunday evening.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner came off the bench at Goodison Park to score his side’s eventual winner, pouncing on a well-weighted pass from Casemiro before coolly slotting past Toffees stopper Jordan Pickford. Summer signing Antony had initially brought the Red Devils level after they conceded an early opener, courtesy of Alex Iwobi.

Ronaldo’s strike also represented a significant personal milestone, as he finally reached a tally of 700 club career goals. And despite him only being on the pitch for around half an hour, both Redknapp and Crooks saw fit to include the 37-year-old in their respective teams of the week.

Speaking to BetVictor, former West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur manager Redknapp said: “He [Ronaldo] has been criticised all season long, but you can’t keep a good man down. Seven hundred goals at club level. Unbelievable. What a career this man has had.”

Likewise, Crooks also made mention of the veteran’s massive achievement. He told BBC Sport: “Casemiro was having a nightmare for Manchester United when he redeemed himself and set up his former Real Madrid team-mate for his 700th club career goal.

“The finish by Cristiano Ronaldo was as crisp as I’ve seen from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. It was as if the moment he was put through there was no doubt he would score. If Casemiro can come to terms with the pace of the Premier League, especially in the big games, then he might prove to be a valuable asset for United - but more importantly for Ronaldo.”

Crooks also reserved praise for United goalkeeper David de Gea. The pundit added: “He [De Gea] could do nothing about the strike by Everton’s Alex Iwobi, but having been beaten by the Nigeria midfielder he wasn’t going to allow a similar effort to beat him again. The save from James Garner in the dying seconds of United’s 2-1 win at Goodison Park didn’t just keep the ball out of the net but also prevented Amadou Onana heading it in.

“It has been some time since United came back from a goal down away from home and went on to win a league match. Then again, when you’ve got De Gea in goal he will, on average, save you 10 points a season - and in a good season even more.”