Cris : I'll be beautiful again soon !

Cristiano Ronaldo could be found yesterday wearing dark shades and a diamond-encrusted baseball cap deliberately pulled low to conceal the gash above his right eye, inflicted by a flailing elbow during Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Roma. Typically, he wore the stitches like a fashion statement. "It's not a problem," he said. "In four or five days I will be beautiful once again."

Ronaldo had to leave the pitch after the collision with Mirko Vucinic but he was at pains to emphasise that Roma's substitute had not set out to injure him. "I don't think it was intentional," he said. "I don't like to look like this but this kind of thing can happen in football."

None the less, there was an important issue for Ronaldo to address in the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson's complaints that his talented winger was not getting enough protection from referees. This has been a recurring grievance for Ferguson over the past couple of years but it has gained momentum this season, with the United manager speaking of his concerns that Ronaldo is in danger of suffering a "serious injury".

Ronaldo nodded in agreement when he was reminded of those words and he described Ferguson as doing "a great job trying to protect me". He has already promised the manager he will never again retaliate, as he did against Portsmouth's Richard Hughes to be sent off on the opening week of the season. The Portugal international remembers the subsequent three-game suspension making him "suffer more than at any time in the last three years" and there was a message for any defenders planning to subject him to rough treatment. "I will never allow these players to intimidate me," he said.

He was launching his first book, Moments, and there was a notable air of confidence after the previous night's defeat of Roma, a result that means United have six points from their opening two Champions League ties and look certainties to qualify from Group F. "We are in a great position to win the Champions League this year," he said. "It is the one [club] competition I have not won, and this is my dream for the season. I genuinely believe we have a great chance."

That may be so, but Ronaldo's team-mate, Rio Ferdinand, offered a more conservative appraisal when he admitted being dissatisfied with the team's performances, complaining that they were not doing enough to entertain their supporters, with six of the last eight games ending 1-0. "We always like to keep clean sheets but Manchester United is not just about winning games," Ferdinand said. "We have to entertain the fans as well. When you play for Manchester United that is made very plain to you."

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