Manchester United to go unbeaten says Ronaldo

In an interview for tomorrow's United Review, the official match programme for all Manchester United home matches, Cristiano Ronaldo, easily one of the most exciting young footballers in the game anywhere, says: "Remaining unbeaten will obviously be our aim but naturally it can be a very difficult thing to do. Sometimes you play well and deserve to win but you end up losing. The most important thing for us is to make sure we're consistent throughout the season."



The 20-year old flying Portuguese winger also revealed that he had lost a bet with Sir Alex Ferguson that he would score at least 10 goals last season and that: "I was very disappointed to lose my bet with the boss. But we will be having another bet this season and I know I'm going to win this time. Scoring goals is a great feeling, but the most important thing to me is that the team is successful - it doesn't matter who scores the goals as long as we're winning."

Critics of the player's high skill levels and tricks are heartened by this demonstration of commitment to the team above all else and will doubtless be excited at the prospect of regular Ronaldo goal celebrations!

Attention now turns to tomorrow and the serious business of United's first home fixture of 2005-2006, as they play host to Aston Villa. Ronaldo will be hoping to make his first Premiership appearance and score, as he did in the corresponding fixture last season, against a team that hasn't won at Old Trafford since 1983 and have suffered the dread "double" for the last 2 seasons.

United's only injury worries appear to be with Ryan Giggs curiously persistent chest infection and the previously known recuperating trio of Wes Brown, Quinton Fortune and Louis Saha.