Sir Alex Ferguson has said Arsene Wenger was right to label Cristiano Ronaldo as arrogant - but insisted his attitude is what makes him an outstanding player, writes Andrew Hodgson.

The Portuguese star found himself on the wrong end of heavy-handed treatment from Newcastle's Steven Taylor on Wednesday night.

Arsenal manager Wenger suggested that Ronaldo's arrogance and class were 'provocative' to opposition players but Ferguson claimed it was a small price for Ronaldo to pay for his talent.

Ferguson said: "What Arsene said is that it sometimes appears as though there is an arrogance (with Ronaldo) and I can understand what he is saying.

"When a player is expressing himself in such an entertaining way, then defenders don't enjoy it. It was the same when George Best was a player.

"But what people don't understand is that it's not about what people are prepared to do, it's about having the courage to do it."

United face Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals tomorrow but, with Inter Milan due at Old Trafford in a Champions League second-leg on Wednesday, Ferguson admits he will shuffle his team.

He said: "I'm trying to juggle a couple of balls, though, so hopefully I will come up with the right ones."