Cristiano can be a catalyst, like Cantona

CRISTIANO RONALDO can become the modern-day Eric Cantona for Manchester United: a catalyst for greater things. There’s a huge sense of excitement around the club with his return, not just for the calibre of player he is, but the standards he sets on and off the pitch.

When Eric arrived in 1992, we were already good characters, good trainers, but he had little habits like doing a warm-down session after training or practising certain aspects of his game.

We all saw they were good ideas and applied them to our own routines and they worked. He gave us that edge. I am not saying Cristiano will guarantee United the Premier League title, because this group still needs to find greater consistency, but I do guarantee he will make United one hell of a team to watch this season. We will see some great interaction between the forwards and he will bring the best out of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes.

United will be a team that gets fans out of their seats in the true traditions of the club.

But it’s under the surface of what the public see where Cristiano will also have an impact. Whenever I see him he has a smile, comes over to shake my hand and chat but he would do the same for the cleaning ladies or the chefs in the club canteen. He always had respect for people and it was reciprocated. They are the values instilled by his family and Sir Alex Ferguson. It generates a warmth around the place.

Even the great commercial demands of being at a club like United, he handles everything so easily. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his staff have worked hard to implement standards and Cristiano will show that dressing room what needs to be done to remain a winner.

You can see he is a fitness fanatic. He may be 36 but I am sure he can carry on playing into his 40s like Ryan Giggs. Credit to the club, this deal is a game-changer.