Ian Wright and Nigel De Jong laud 'very impressive' Goncalo Ramos after his hat-trick for Portugal

Ian Wright and Nigel De Jong have heaped praise on Goncalo Ramos after his stunning hat-trick in Portugal's 6-1 victory against Switzerland on Tuesday night.

Ramos was a surprise inclusion in Portugal's starting line-up as he came in for captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who was dropped after reacting angrily to being substituted against South Korea last Friday.

The 21-year-old made the most of his opportunity by scoring three well-taken goals which included a thunderous strike to get off the mark, and a lovely dinked finish to complete his hat-trick. Speaking on ITV afterwards, Wright hailed Ramos's faultless performance.

‘It was very impressive, he played very well, scored a hat trick and takes all the headlines and rightly so,' Wright said.

'He held the ball up brilliantly but the first goal it set the stall for him.

'He scores a goal that he's not meant to score (his first goal). He hits it so well, he's not meant to score that side of the goal but that kind of set them on the road really.'

Fellow pundit De Jong admitted it was a big call from Fernando Santos to leave Ronaldo out, and this will only have added to the pressure on Ramos's shoulders.

Yet De Jong was impressed with how the youngster handled the occasion, and thinks Ramos has a well-rounded game for the highest level.

'There was a lot of pressure on his shoulders coming in and replacing Cristiano Ronaldo, but now that's gone,' De Jong added.

'What I like about him, he's two-footed. He can play left and right, his touch with his right foot his finish with his left.'

Santos now faces a big decision ahead of Portugal's quarter-final against Morocco on Saturday as to whether he should bring Ronaldo back into the team or stick with Ramos.

Ronaldo is the leading goalscorer in men's international football with 118 goals to his name, and is an iconic figure in his homeland.

However, Ramos has now netted four goals in as many appearances for his country, and appears to be the man in form, which could lead to Santos keeping him in the side and leaving Ronaldo on the bench once more.