"I gave him half an hour to make me look silly" - Andros Townsend on using 'greatest player' Cristiano Ronaldo's celebration against Manchester United
Andros Townsend copied Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic celebration after scoring for Everton against Manchester United at the weekend. The Englishman has revealed he had planned to do that even though he got a bit carried away.
He explained:
"We were discussing it with the coach the day before on the way up to Manchester. The boys were saying, 'Would you do it if you scored?' I said yeah, but the one thing they said was to make sure you are winning or it is late in the game, so [that] Ronaldo doesn't have a chance to reply."
Andros Townsend just hit Ronaldo's celebration at Old Trafford 😅 https://t.co/Ag44KdGopf
"I got a bit carried away, almost buckled, and fell on my back. I looked up at the clock and it was 65 minutes. I gave the greatest player half an hour to make me look silly and score the winner. Thankfully he didn't," added the Everton winger.
Andros Townsend also revealed that he asked Cristiano Ronaldo for his shirt after the game and was granted his request in the dressing room.
He added:
"I made it my goal that I was not leaving Old Trafford without Cristiano Ronaldo's shirt. You saw after the final whistle, I ran straight to him, I don't know what he was muttering but it wasn't English. He was muttering in Portuguese and I asked him three or four times for his shirt and eventually he gave in and said he would give it to me inside."
GOAL Man Utd 1-1 Everton (65 mins)
A flying Everton counter attack ends with Andros Townsend firing past David De Gea
#MUNEVE
"I had to wait inside the dressing room and thankfully the kit man was able to sort it for me. That shirt I am going to keep with me [forever]," said Andros Townsend.
Cristiano Ronaldo unhappy with Manchester United's recent slump
Manchester United have failed to impress in recent weeks, winning just two of their last six fixtures across all competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't hide his frustration after the Red Devils dropped another point in the 1-1 draw with Everton at the weekend.
The Portuguese was visibly angry as he walked straight down the tunnel immediately after the final whistle. CR7 has been brilliant at individual level, scoring five goals for Manchester United in six games across all competitions since his return to Old Trafford this summer.