English FA Cup Quarter-finals:Alex Ferguson is convinced the sheer speed of Cristiano Ronaldo's feet will rob the Manchester United winger of penalties. Ronaldo heads to Middlesbrough today for the first time since he was branded a cheat by Gareth Southgate after a penalty box fall under little contact from goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
Southgate's accusations brought a terse response from Ferguson, who claimed the former England defender was "naive".
However, on Wednesday, the diving label which Ronaldo appeared to have shedded, was stuck back on him when he was cautioned by Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo for tumbling in the area under a challenge from Matthieu Chalme.
Having praised the official for his handling of the game, Ferguson opted not to criticise Cantalejo for his decision. Instead he claimed Ronaldo's extreme pace and trickery will sometimes count against him.
"The boy left his foot in, there is no question about that, so it should have been a penalty," said Ferguson. "Maybe referees are looking for him a little but that is unfair. His feet are so quick, sometimes you don't realise, so he is going to be robbed of certain moments in the game when it is justified."
With 16 Premiership goals to his name already this season, Ronaldo has been one of the major inspirations behind United's drive for the title. And the good news for United is that he is likely to be around for some time yet. Despite speculation about a summer move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona, the 22-year-old has again confirmed he is happy to remain in Manchester.
In a personal website column, the former Sporting Lisbon star has highlighted his desire to play in Spain at some point in the future but claimed his immediate priority is to stay with United, win titles and enter the "folklore" of the club.
The positive words should help smooth what are likely to be protracted negotiations over a new contract, which have already opened even though his present deal is not due to expire until 2010.
"Why should Cristiano want to go anywhere else?" said Ferguson. "He is at the right club and he wants to stay. We have been negotiating for a few weeks now and hopefully we can reach an agreement because the boy has been fantastic for us."
By the time United head to Rome for the Champions League quarter-final first leg on April 4th, Ferguson should have striking duo Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer available again.
Both men miss today's match with hamstring and knee injuries respectively, leaving Wayne Rooney and Henrik Larsson - who is making the final competitive appearance of his 10-week loan spell - to shoulder the burden in attack. Alan Smith is likely to be on the bench, while China international Dong Fangzhou will be in the United squad for the first time.
However, it is Rooney who will be required to find the spark in front of goal. Ferguson admitted he took a calculated gamble with the 21-year-old England striker in midweek, playing him with a strapping to protect his injured knee. However, despite a below-par performance, the United manager is confident Rooney will be back to his best against Middlesbrough.
"Wayne was not quite on top form against Lille," said Ferguson. He was a little bit restricted because he played with a strapping on. He worked his socks off and showed fantastic application, which is a credit to him but once we scored, I was delighted to get him off."
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has warned his players they cannot afford to stand and admire Manchester United's superstars. "It is a game our players are very much up for. They cannot wait for it to start," Southgate said.
Meanwhile, Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce may be tempted to change his strike force for the trip to Blackburn tomorrow. Belgium international Emile Mpenza is pushing for his first start for the club as Georgios Samaras and Bernado Corradi were both ineffective in the defeat by Wigan. Darius Vassell (hamstring) and Paul Dickov (toe) could also come into contention after being sidelined through injury.
Blackburn's David Dunn is suspended but Congo striker Shabani Nonda should be back in contention after missing the victory over Bolton last week through illness. Robbie Savage, Steven Reid and Andre Ooijer remain long-term absentees.
Plymouth's striker Barry Hayles will vie for a starting spot in attack with 20-year-old rookie Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and on-loan Queens Park Rangers striker Kevin Gallen to face Watford who have goalkeeper Ben Foster back from injury.
Saturday (Kick-off: 5.30): Middlesbrough v Manchester United (BBC 1)
Sunday (Kick-off: 12.45): Chelsea v Tottenham (BBC 1)
Sunday (Kick-off: 4.0): Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City (Sky Sports 1)
Sunday (Kick-off: 6.0): Plymouth v Watford (BBC 1)
