Cristiano Ronaldo could be found yesterday wearing dark shades and a diamond-encrusted baseball cap deliberately pulled low to conceal the gash above his right eye, inflicted by a flailing elbow during Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Roma.

Ronaldo, typically, wore the stitches like a fashion statement. "It's not a problem," he said. "In four or five days I will be beautiful once again."

Ronaldo had to leave the pitch after the collision with Mirko Vucinic, but he was at pains to emphasise that Roma's substitute had not deliberately set out to injure him. "I don't think it was intentional," he said, "I don't like to look like this but this kind of thing can happen in football."

Nonetheless, there was an important issue for Ronaldo to address in the wake of Alex Ferguson's complaints that his talented winger was not getting enough protection from referees.

This has been a recurring grievance for Ferguson over the past couple of years, but one that has gained momentum this season, the United manager speaking of his concerns that Ronaldo is in danger of suffering a "serious injury".

Ronaldo nodded in agreement when he was reminded of those words and he described Ferguson as doing "a great job trying to protect me".

He has already promised Ferguson he will never again retaliate, as he did against Portsmouth's Richard Hughes, to be sent off on the opening week of the season.

The Portugal international remembers the subsequent three-game suspension making him "suffer more than at any time in the last three years", and there was a message for any defenders planning to subject him to rough treatment. "I will never allow these players to intimidate me," he said.

Ronaldo was launching his first book, Moments, and there was a notable air of celebration after the previous night's defeat of Roma, a result that means United have six points from their opening two Champions League ties and look certainties to qualify from Group F.

Semi-finalists last season, Ronaldo and his team-mates are entitled to be encouraged and, as well as speaking of his desire to stay at Old Trafford until "they say they don't want me", the Premier League player of the year spoke boldly about the club's chances of restoring the European Cup to Old Trafford.

"We are in a great position to win the Champions League this year," he said. "It is the one competition I have not won and this is my dream for the season. I genuinely believe we have a great chance."

That may be so, but Ronaldo's team-mate Rio Ferdinand offered a more conservative appraisal when he admitted being dissatisfied with the team's performances, complaining they were not doing enough to entertain their supporters.

Ferguson's men have won six of their last eight games 1-0 and, while their defensive statistics are hugely impressive, Ferdinand shares his manager's bewilderment that they have scored twice in only one game this season. "We always like to keep clean sheets but Manchester United is not just about winning games," Ferdinand said.

"We have to entertain the fans as well. The supporters pay good money and the whole heritage of Manchester United is based on attacking and free-flowing football that fans want to watch.

"We will have to work harder on the training pitch because we know we have a duty to entertain the fans. When you play for Manchester United that is made very plain to you, that fans expect to be on the edge of their seat. We are trying to do that but it is taking time."

Meanwhile, Owen Hargreaves faces another agonising month on the sidelines with a knee injury. And Ferguson's post-match revelation that the combative midfielder had needed an injection to treat tendinitis will have repercussions well beyond the confines of Old Trafford, with the 26-year-old seemingly certain to miss England's forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia.