'We lost to Ronaldo last season, not Man Utd' - Conte insists Spurs must be wary of 'incredible' CR7 despite his poor form

• Portuguese starred last season
• Claimed another match ball
• Italian coach is a big fan

WHAT HAPPENED? Spurs are due back at Old Trafford on Wednesday for the first time since Portuguese superstar Ronaldo recorded a stunning treble against them in March. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was at his brilliant best that day, with another match ball added to his collection after inspiring Manchester United to a 3-2 victory on home soil. Ronaldo has yet to reach the same heights in 2022-23 amid struggles for form under new boss Erik ten Hag, but Conte insists he can still be the difference-maker.

WHAT THEY SAID: The Tottenham boss has said of lining up against an all-time great again: “Last season he scored a hat-trick against us. We're talking about an incredible player, a top player. We're talking about a player who continues to make a difference for the team in which he plays. I have a lot of admiration for Cristiano, for his professionalism, but I hope he will remain calm, not like last season, when he scored three goals. We lost 3-2, but we lost to him, not to United last season. I remember that very well, because we played a very good game.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ronaldo opened the scoring against Spurs with a 25-yard thunderbolt, before putting United back in front following a Harry Kane penalty and completing his hat-trick with a thumping header after Harry Maguire had put through his own net – becoming, at 37 years of age, the second-oldest player behind Teddy Sheringham to register a treble in the Premier League.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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DID YOU KNOW? Ronaldo has scored eight Premier League goals against Spurs (including six in his last three) – against no side does he have more in the competition.

WHAT NEXT? United enter their meeting with Spurs sat fifth in the table, seven points and two places back on Conte’s side, and are still searching for consistency under Ten Hag – with it yet to be determined whether Ronaldo will retain his starting spot in midweek after seeing plenty of bench duty this season.