Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson refused to reject comparisons between Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona at yesterday's media conference.

"Cantona was important for making and scoring goals at important times for us. Just when you thought you could drop a point, he would make or score one for you," Ferguson said. "He was without doubt one of the most important players to be here, but Ronaldo is younger and improving all the time.

"I hope that gets him to the highest level and there are signs he's going that way. Maybe we will look back at the end of this season and say his goals were the most important."