Ronaldo Pogba Manchester United 2021-22Getty Images

'Ronaldo is the best striker in history!' - Pogba heaps praise on Man Utd star after hat-trick against Tottenham

Paul Pogba has called Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo "the best striker in history" after the Portugal star netted a hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Tottenham on Saturday.

Pogba was left in awe as Ronaldo scored in a variety of ways, beating Hugo Lloris from outside the box, via a tap-in and with his head.

Amid reports that Ronaldo has been unhappy at Manchester United, Pogba said his team-mate has "never been a problem" while hailing his abilities.

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What has been said?

"We hurt them at the right times and Ronaldo did what he does best," Pogba told BBC Sport. "He has never been a problem. You have the best striker in history in our team, he cannot be a problem. Today the performance from him and all the team was very brilliant."

He added to Sky Sports: “Everybody knows Cristiano – there’s no need to talk about him. That’s what he does. He didn’t play in the last game, but he comes back and scores three goals. Everybody’s happy."

'You can hear the fans'

“It was good today. You can hear the fans – they were pushing us and feeling it," Pogba said. "I think today was a very good performance as a team and a very good reaction from the City game.

“We kept believing. In the second half we didn’t get the nice passing, and the movement I think wasn’t there. We gave them a bit of confidence, that’s why they scored. But we got a corner and scored the winning goal.

“It’s a boost. We needed it to go again. We want the top four and they were opponents who are looking for the top four also. It was a good win and a good performance.”

The bigger picture

Saturday was a cathartic victory for a Manchester United group that has struggled over the past month, and with the win, their top-four prospects have improved.

Ronaldo scoring three goals will also reduce pressure on him and likely dispel some of the rumours of dressing-room unrest, at least for now.

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