Watford goalkeeper and former Manchester United player Ben Foster have rubbished claims that Cristiano Ronaldo is finished at the top level and pointed out his goalscoring exploits as evidence to the contrary. The Portuguese attacker joined United for his second spell at the club in the summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Juventus in the previous summer as he looked to mark a new chapter in his storied legacy at the Manchester club after leaving the club for Real Madrid in 2009. The five-time Ballon d’Or award winner has proved to be a bright spark for the Red Devils in a disappointing campaign as the 37-year-old has scored 23 goals and three assists across all competitions. 

Despite the Portuguese international’s remarkable goalscoring prowess United is almost guaranteed to miss out on a Champions League qualifying spot at the end of the season and questions have been raised if Ronaldo would want to stay at the club for the next campaign. There have also been suggestions that the mercurial Portuguese would struggle to adapt to incoming manager Erik ten Hag’s high-pressing style making a mutual divorce likelier.

Watford goalkeeper Foster who played once together with Ronaldo has insisted that the 37-year-old is a force to be reckoned with and critics have been wrong in their assumptions. 

“The level is high as you like. For a 37-year-old, he is an absolute specimen. He is still rapid. He is one of those who is a natural goalscorer. In that eternal Messi v Ronaldo debate, he is still number one for me. I think even this season people are completely mad that they think he is finished. He’s not finished. Look how many goals he has scored, that’s incredible,” Foster told The Mirror.

“For anybody, that is a fantastic season, but because it is Ronaldo, people expect 30, 40, 50 goals. No – he is playing in a team that is not firing on all cylinders so you are not going to score that many goals anyway, but for people to say that he is finished, no chance mate,” he added.