Manchester City boss Mark Hughes believes the technique of Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick taking could spell knee trouble for the Manchester United star.
Hughes said: "Ronaldo uses a completely different technique to anyone else. He doesn’t go for spin but lets the flight and the pace of the ball through the air do the damage.
"I don’t know if he can maintain it through his career. He might bear the consequences of it because it’s an unnatural movement. Hopefully, he is strong enough and works to build the strength in and around the knee. I would have been in desperate trouble if I’d tried to do it."
Hughes said goalkeeper Shay Given had been practising against simulated Ronaldo-style free-kicks this week — but admitted it was no guarantee of success.
He added: "Ronaldo has an outstanding talent. The freekicks are so difficult to read.
"He’s also an intelligent footballer, and football intelligence is something you want to see from your players."
