Any doubts about whether Cristiano Ronaldo has the right stuff to be a world-class player were largely dispelled when Manchester United bought the teenager from Sporting Lisbon last year to replace David Beckham on the right wing.

　　But United manager Alex Ferguson and Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari have both focused on correcting one shortcoming: Ronaldo sometimes gets carried away with his mesmerizing dribbling, missing his chance to make the advantage tell.

　　"Sometimes people say I carry the ball too much, but I'm at Manchester United for a reason. It's not a fluke," Ronaldo said at Portugal's Euro 2004 training camp yesterday.

　　"Sometimes the most important thing in football is the entire team effort, sometimes it's the individual's skills in one-to-one situations. We're often faced with that choice."

　　Scolari, like Ferguson, has sought to persuade Ronaldo at times to tone down excessive dribbling.

　　"The coach is here to give advice. I don't see it as a criticism. It's normal. He wants the best for the team," the 19-year-old winger said.

　　Ronaldo has made seven appearances for Portugal since moving up from the under-21 team and has yet to score. Each time he has come on as a substitute to replace either Luis Figo or Simao Sabrosa, more mature players who are keeping him off the starting lineup.

　　"For me, it's not about age. I'll keep working to stake my claim to a place in the team," Ronaldo said.

　　"We all want to play but that's not possible. I've got to wait for my time."

　　One thing's for sure, Ronaldo is not short on self-confidence. He turned up at yesterday's news conference with his hair cropped short saying he was in for the long haul.

　　"I'm expecting to get all the way to the final, so to avoid it getting too long I decided to get it cut short now," he said.

　　Meanwhile, Figo was forced to train apart from his Portugal teammates yesterday because of a slight leg muscle strain.

　　Figo was confined to the gym for the morning session but a Portuguese spokesman said the forward was expected to return later in the day.

　　Portugal is training for the first time since its 4-1 win over Lithuania in their last Euro 2004 warmup game on Saturday.

　　(The Associated Press)