'Time to unbalance the scale': Ronaldo eyes new challenge after 60th career hat-trick

Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo, facing the heat over his form and future at Old Trafford, has silenced his critics by netting his 60th career hat-trick against Norwich City on Saturday. 

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Following his latest three-goal haul for the Red Devils, the Portugal international vowed to 'unbalance the scale', setting his intentions clear of breaking new grounds. "30 hat-tricks before 30 and 30 hat-tricks after 30," he wrote. "It's time to unbalance the scale!" stated the 37-year-old in social media posts.

The hat-trick against the Canaries was Ronaldo's third for Manchester United and second since his return to Old Trafford at the start of the season. His earlier three-goal haul came against Tottenham Hotspur, which also saw the Portuguese become the leading goalscorer in the sport's history.

Ronaldo's 60th career hat-trick took him to 20 goals in all competitions this season for the Red Devils. It is the 16th season in a row that Ronaldo has scored 20 or more club goals in all competitions and moved him on to 99 career Premier League goals.

United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick heaped praises on the star striker following this feat. "Ronaldo has scored three very important goals for us. Quite like against Tottenham [where Ronaldo had netted a hat-trick in March], he was very crucial today. The second and third goals are not easy goals. The way that he took those, the second and the third, was just outstanding," the German said after the close win over Norwich. 

"He has shown against Tottenham and today that he can be the difference-maker in games like this. It is no coincidence that he has the best goal-scoring record of all players in history," added Rangnick. United's chances of securing Champions League berth next season received a shot in the arm after rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur faced defeats over the weekend.

United trail Tottenham, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League spot—by three points and have the same number of points as Arsenal, although the Gunners have a game in hand. Rangnick was critical of his team's defence and felt that United would be fortunate to get a point against in-form Liverpool on Tuesday if they showed the same defensive frailties they did against struggling Norwich.