Kevin Campbell has defended Cristiano Ronaldo and has criticised Gary Neville for being "harsh" on the Manchester United forward.
The 36-year-old scored his eighth of the season in the 3-1 win over Burnley on Thursday and the former Arsenal striker believes five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo is carrying the Reds this season.
Neville's criticism came after United's draw with Newcastle where he labelled players in the squad as "whinge-bags" in their actions towards fellow teammates and the referee in what was a disjointed performance.
It followed a disappointing display in the win over Norwich - where Ronaldo scored the only goal of the game - as David de Gea was instrumental in ensuring they left Carrow Road with three points.
Campbell believes that Ronaldo is an influential figure in the dressing room and will rectify the problems if players are underperforming.
"Ronaldo is a player who has seen it, done it, and got the t-shirt," he told Football Insider.
"If players aren’t doing things right, he will tell them. There’s no hiding place when you’re out there on that pitch with arguably one of the greatest players ever.
"It’s all very well saying that he has to help the youngsters and put his arm around them, but when you’re on the pitch you need to have that ruthless streak.
"Neville is being a little bit harsh on him. Ronaldo is the one who is carrying Man United right now. The rest aren’t up to standard.
"We saw him keep Solskjaer in a job for an extra two months, let’s be honest. It’s a bit rich to all of a sudden say he’s not pulling his weight at the club."
We’ve teamed up with LiveScore to invite fans to vote for their favourite results - the games which were much more than a score. Vote for the match that mattered to you here .
