On Wednesday, Antonio Conte’s Tottenham team travels to Old Trafford with the knowledge that a misfiring Cristiano Ronaldo still represents their greatest threat.
Last season, Ronaldo led Manchester United to a league sweep of Spurs, scoring a stunning hat-trick against Spurs at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo passed Teddy Sheringham, a former striker for Tottenham and Manchester United, as the second-oldest player to score a hat trick in the Premier League.
Additionally, Conte has not forgotten Ronaldo’s performance in that match, saying: “We lost to him, not United last season.”
He continued: “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,” Conte said ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.
“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 37-year-old has scored twice in all competitions, netting against Sheriff in the Europa League and Everton in the Premier League.
