Southgate furiously accused Ronaldo of diving following the corresponding fixture in December last season after the Portuguese star fell under the challenge of Mark Schwarzer to win a penalty.

His outburst drew a withering response from United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and the acrimony spilled over into an FA Cup tie between the two clubs at Old Trafford in March.

But Southgate said today: "We have got no issue with Cristiano Ronaldo. We all admire him as a player, we think he is an outstanding player and we respect him for that.

"He is certainly the best player in our league and if there is a better player in Europe we haven't seen much of them. His scoring record is phenomenal and he is a great talent.

"There were a couple of incidents in games last season but that is in the past. We respect what he's about, we respect his ability and as fans of good football we enjoy watching him play."

Southgate admits stopping the in-form winger presents a major problem but believes his side's second-half performance at Chelsea last week augurs well for Boro to claim a famous victory.

An added incentive is that safety is likely to be mathematically ensured if Southgate's side do pick up any points, and the Boro boss is eager for his side to show no fear from the start.

Southgate added: "I want us to start with the same mentality as we finished the game against Chelsea last week. We have shown recently that we can compete against the top teams in the country.

"We've got to attack the game in a way that puts them on the back foot. We know what they're capable of but we certainly don't have an inferiority complex going into the game.

"We've got to try to hurt them because if we just sit back and try to stop United playing, they will still create chances and they are still capable of beating us."

With Egyptian striker Mido ruled out for the rest of the season with a hernia problem, Brazilian Afonso Alves is likely to start once again as he still searches for his first goal in a Boro shirt.

Southgate has pledged to be patient with his record signing and maintains it cannot have been easy for the player to adapt from the relatively low-key surroundings of Dutch football in mid-season.

He added: "He's getting closer to full fitness and he is adapting to the league a bit better.

"But it is still going to take time and that is the difficult thing when you bring in a player in the middle of the season."

Southgate can welcome back Alves's fellow Brazilian Fabio Rochemback after suspension but Robert Huth joins Mido on the sidelines as he is still suffering from a foot injury.