Cristiano Ronaldo is entertaining the crowd at Old Trafford as royally as George Best did in the 1960s, according to Manchester United great, Denis Law.

The former United striker also believes Ronaldo deserves to be considered as one of the best three players in the world.

“Ronaldo is playing absolutely marvellous football,” Law said. “There are players when they get the ball and you think ‘Christ, something is going to happen here’. It doesn’t always happen but you just feel it.

“We had players like that in my day with George Best. They are all a team but certain players make a difference and Ronaldo is one of those, and if they are injured or suspended then if can affect the team.

“He’s a winger-cum-midfielder rather than a striker but he still scores and awful lot of goals - and he’s good with his head.”

Ronaldo, who was runner-up for the Ballon D’or, the European Footballer of the Year award, at the weekend, is on the three-man shortlist for Fifa’s world player of the year, along with Kaka, of AC Milan, and Lionel Messi, the Barcelona forward.

“I would say that you would be struggling to come up with a better trio than those three at the moment, I think he’s [Ronaldo’s] right up there," Law said. “I thought he might have a bit of a lean time after the World Cup because of certain things that happened there but he’s proved that wrong.

“It has probably made him a better player because he has had to suffer some abuse, he came through that extremely well and it’s not easy when you are a young lad.”

Law also believes the Barclays Premier League title will be a two-horse race. “I would say it will be between Arsenal and United, but so many things come into the equation between now and the end of the season,” he said. “If everything remains equal you would say they are the top two. The nice thing is they are both exciting teams who play football in the right way.”