Portugal boss Paulo Bento has revealed his doubts at calls for Cristiano Ronaldo to be deployed as a centre-forward for the national team.
There were calls in Iberia for the Ballon d’Or winner to be played down the middle after the Seleccao crashed out of the World Cup at the group stage.
But speaking after their exit, the Coach has insisted that the Real Madrid forward is better suited to playing out wide.
“I never thought of Ronaldo as the spearhead, it was not on my mind to put Ronaldo as the only centre-forward since the beginning of the tournament,” he told TV1.
“I think it's not the best for his goal tally and for the team. We talked about it, of course. He did not seem to feel comfortable in that position, but it was not necessary for him to tell me that.”
Bento also played down Ronaldo’s injury worries, with reports that he was not fully fit going into the tournament.
“When he reached the training camp he was not at 100 per cent but then he was able to train and play.
“He played with great effort and sacrifice and he was medically fit – he would not have played otherwise. There was not any pressure to speed his recovery.”
