Sir Alex Ferguson has recalled how Cristiano Ronaldo's dazzling debut for Manchester United gave him an almighty dilemma ahead of their next game.
The Portuguese star was only 18 when he announced himself in English football with a 30-minute cameo off the bench against Bolton Wanderers in August 2003.
Ronaldo, just signed from Sporting Lisbon, had the Old Trafford crowd spellbound as he tore the Bolton defence apart and left the pitch to a standing ovation.
But legendary United boss Ferguson has admitted Ronaldo's performance caught him out and he knew there would be a clamour to start him in the next match.
'I always remember, that when we had the discussion [about Ronaldo signing], I think the thing I wanted to impress on his agent, in particular, [was that] he won't play every game,' Ferguson told United's The Inside View.
'But if he's so good, I can't stop him. You always play your best players.
'The opening game of the season, he was substitute. He came on and he was absolutely bloody fantastic! The crowd was magnificent, the crowd loved it.
'So here we had a situation: Do I play him the next game or do I put him back on the bench? That was a big problem, that, you know.'
Winning 1-0 when Ronaldo came on against Bolton, United would go on to win 4-0 with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring late on.
But Ferguson didn't bow to pressure and named Ronaldo among the substitutes again for United's next game, a 2-1 win at Newcastle United.
The teenager did come on for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with 13 minutes left at St James' Park but his first United start wasn't until August 27 and a 1-0 home win over Wolves.
Ronaldo, who returned to United for a second spell at the beginning of this season, was sat alongside Ferguson for the interview and recalled how he settled in at Old Trafford.
'Everything that he said to me, he did,' said Ronaldo.
'And it's difficult. Imagine at 18, you arrive from Sporting, you play with the stars – with Giggsy, Scholes, Roy Keane, Solskjaer – I was a little bit nervous. But he helped me a lot by the communication.
'He would call me to his office with the translator there. The most important thing was he told me things that helped me to grow up as a person, and as a player. And since day one, everything that he told me, he did. So I appreciated it a lot.
'I'm always saying it, but he was like a father figure to me in football. I appreciate everything he did for me, my family and especially for the club. He did an amazing job.'
Ronaldo won't be in action this weekend with the home game against Brighton postponed after Covid swept through the United camp, leaving them with only seven available players.
It followed the postponement of Tuesday's trip to Brentford.