Alan Shearer: Ronaldo can still score, but Portugal's future is better without him

Alan Shearer commented on Ronaldo's retirement from international football in his personal column. He also reviewed the recent form of teams including Manchester United and Newcastle United.

Portugal's future will be better without Ronaldo

Ronaldo achieved incredible things during his time with Portugal, but his decision to retire from international football is the best one for him, for his country and for the national team coach. Time spares no one, and everyone faces such a choice eventually.

Ronaldo can still score goals, but looking ahead, Portugal will be better without him. Of course, this in no way diminishes his amazing achievements, incredible statistics and desire to win. He is a giant of football, and everything he has done for Portugal is remarkable.

Manchester United must start performing well in both halves

On Tuesday, Manchester United staged a spectacular comeback at Old Trafford to beat Roma 3-2, but their underlying problems remain. The victory may boost their confidence, but it doesn't solve the obvious problems from the first half: a lack of creativity, poor defending and no one making runs forward.

Carrick's half-time talk seemed to work. In the second half his team passed faster, and their movement off the ball and runs forward were more aggressive. They were lucky that the penalty was retaken, but overall, Manchester United's second-half performance was excellent. They must maintain this level of competitiveness, energy and attitude in every game, not just for one half. Last weekend against Chelsea, they played well in the first half. If they can keep this up for 90 minutes, they might start getting good results.

Even beating Aston Villa might not save Carrick's job

Normally, a Manchester United manager would face fierce criticism from fans after such a poor start to the season, but the fans understand the club's problems with transfers and ownership. They have great respect for Carrick and support him, which is undoubtedly good news. But at half-time on Tuesday, the Manchester United players were booed off by the fans, and rightly so, because their performance was simply too poor.

Are Manchester United better than fourth from bottom? Yes, but I don't think they will qualify for next season's Champions League, or even finish in the top six. They are an inconsistent team. This weekend they face Aston Villa, which is a tough game, and Villa will cause them a lot of problems. Even if Manchester United win, we will have to wait and see whether it is enough to save Carrick's job. If they lose to Aston Villa, his future will be truly worrying.

Rooney heads into the jungle

Rooney will be taking part in "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!". When I saw him earlier this week, he was really looking forward to it. He was excited and in good shape. I asked him what he was scared of, and he said he is claustrophobic. He doesn't like rats, he doesn't like snakes, and he's afraid of heights. So I said, "Apart from those, you'll be fine." I'll be voting for him at least 20 times every night, which is going to cost me a fortune. The eating challenges are the scariest. I couldn't do them, so you will definitely never see me in the jungle.

About Grealish

Again, a football career is short, and you have to give it everything. I know everyone wants to enjoy life, and I think there's nothing wrong with having fun and a few drinks at the right time. But there is a limit to everything, and Jack Grealish seems to really enjoy partying and drinking. Sometimes it does get out of hand.

He's a very likeable person and does a lot of charity work. But you also have to understand that football is your main job, and off-field incidents can't keep happening. As things stand, it isn't good for his image. He's a talented maverick. I'm not comparing him to Gascoigne, but he has the same kind of talent, capable of flashes of brilliance, and he is also a bit like Gascoigne off the field. He's a lovable rogue. Grealish knows what he needs to do to regain Moyes' trust. If he can get back on the field and start showing his magic, helping Everton climb the table with brilliant performances, then all will be forgiven.

I think Grealish's England career is long over. There are too many other players performing well in his position, so I don't expect him to return to the England squad.

Newcastle United desperately need a win

Newcastle United were terrible last week against Everton in the League Cup, and it was the same in Monday's Premier League match. If they win their next game and play well, I might be able to accept the League Cup exit. We would rather have the three points than progress in the League Cup, but the way Newcastle United lost both games is worrying.

On Monday, I watched the game closely at St. James' Park, and I couldn't understand what Newcastle United were trying to do. What was the formation? What were the tactics? It was a mess, and it was worrying. It was a dreadful game, especially considering we had played Everton in the cup only days earlier.

If you're destined to lose, at least fight with everything you have, but you can't say Newcastle United did that in either game against Everton. We didn't create any chances at all, which is the most worrying thing.

Newcastle United fans' patience is wearing thin

Considering the huge investment Newcastle United made in the summer transfer window, you have to examine their transfer strategy, and you don't see much value for money. In Monday's game, the goalkeeper should have dealt with the goal they conceded better. This weekend's away game against Fulham is crucial. The international break is a tough time for managers under pressure, as they know what might happen.

As fans, we must be patient, but the team must give us some hope. At present, they are not doing enough in terms of excitement, chance creation and goals to make us cheer, and that must change. I don't mind us missing chances, but the real concern is that we are not creating them, and we look like a team that struggles to score.

Newcastle United should start Sean Steur

I would start Sean Steur, the young Dutch player who joined Newcastle United from Ajax this summer, because he is better than most players at Newcastle at playing passes that break through defenses. He passes forward, rather than sideways or hitting a 60-yard diagonal. He can receive the ball and then play it 20 yards forward from midfield, finding forwards who can create threats. For that alone, I would want him to play. I know he is young and inexperienced, but I have seen enough to think he can help Newcastle United break down opponents' defenses, which we currently cannot do.