NEWCASTLE have been told to expect the unexpected when wonderboy Cristiano Ronaldo swaggers into St James� Park tomorrow. The warning comes from the Manchester United star�s best pal � Newcastle�s Portuguese midfielder Hugo Viana. The twinkle-toed pair have known each other for eight years � and Viana reckons his Geordie boys have an even tougher task trying to avenge last season�s 6-2 thrashing with winger Ronaldo around. The 18-year-old, signed by United for �12.4million from Sporting Lisbon a fortnight ago, set the Premiership on fire with last Saturday�s electrifying debut. His speed and trickery had Bolton�s back four spinning � and now every top-flight defender will be panicking. Viana predicts magic every time Ronaldo gets the ball. He said: �Ronaldo is a very good player for England because he is quick and strong and has great technique. �For a winger, you have to be skilful and he has the technical ability. You can give him the ball and he will make something happen. �I�ve known Ronaldo since I was 12 years old, we played in the same team at Sporting. �He is my closest friend and we used to do everything together. We trained and played in the same teams and dreamed we would play for Sporting and for Portugal. �Ronaldo was always a special talent and very confident he would achieve his goals � even when he was 12 and I am happy for him that he has joined Manchester United.� Viana, 20, is desperate to play against his mate tomorrow, even though a back injury ruled him out of the Toon�s 2-2 draw at Leeds last weekend. But he hopes his 90-minute run-out for Portugal in Wednesday�s 1-0 win over Kazakhstan may convince Newcastle boss Bobby Robson he is ready. VIANA ... big Cristiano fan Viana is determined to earn a run in the side after starting just 17 games for the Magpies. He declared: �My back is fine and I lasted the whole game for Portugal. I am fit for the next game and I want to play against Ronaldo. �We need to have a very good game against Manchester United because last time it was 6-2 and the fans want us to put it right. We know we need to be at our best. �I saw the game against Leeds and Newcastle played well. It was a hard game, although all the away games are hard � so it was a very good result.� It has been a long journey from Sporting�s academy to the hard-knocks school of the Premiership. Viana is two years older but he and Ronaldo were inseparable in their formative years. They would travel to training sessions together and hone their skills late into the night in a bid to make the grade. And, side by side, they plotted a path into Sporting�s first team and even made their debuts in the same game � against Academica on August 15, 2001. Viana�s superior strength saw him make rapid progress and, a year later, he was on his way to Newcastle for �8.5m. But the Toon midfielder always knew his mate would quickly follow. Now Ronaldo has done just that and is looking to cap the most amazing week of his life tomorrow, following on from his Old Trafford bow and first senior international on Wednesday. United know they have a gem, with Reds youth coach Francisco Filho praising Ronaldo as one of the best talents he has seen. Brazilian Filho was hired by Alex Ferguson last year to boss the Under-18s after being recommended by his old assistant and current Real Madrid boss Carlos Queiroz. Filho said: �Cristiano Ronaldo is a fantastic player and United captured him at the right time. �Ronaldo is an exceptional case because he is only 18. Usually, players have to wait until they are 24 or 25 before they are good enough to play for a club like United. �Usually, the best foreign players play for around three years at a Premiership club if they are good enough and then go back but Ronaldo has the chance to be here a long time.� Boss Fergie has placed United�s future in Filho�s hands � with orders to churn out players to follow homegrown stars like Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. And Filho is now working hard to establish an exchange programme with Sporting so United can tap into the conveyor belt that produced Ronaldo. Filho said: �Lots of them will certainly play in the first team later on. �I would like the English players and the Portuguese players of Sporting to do some exchanges. �When they are young and, if they have talent, an exchange is beneficial for both sides.� ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for Your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at Myinks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/l.m7sD/LIdGAA/qnsNAA/tsUolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************** Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe from the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
