"Give me Cristiano" - Claudio Ranieri jokingly claims he can offer every single minute of playing time to Cristiano Ronaldo at Watford
Watford boss Claudio Ranieri has explained that he would happily take Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo in his team and jokingly claimed he can offer the forward every single minute of playing time at Vicarage Road.
Ranieri's Watford will host Manchester United at Vicarage Road when they return to Premier League action following the international break on Saturday. The Hornets and the Red Devils will be looking to bounce back from their respective defeats to Arsenal and Manchester City.
As Watford go into the match against Manchester United looking for their second win under Ranieri, one player they will be wary of on Saturday is Ronaldo. Having scored four goals and provided one assist from eight Premier League games this term, the Portugal international is one of Manchester United's major threats.
📸| Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to Manchester training. https://t.co/nC3IlLSm1N
However, Ronaldo has been the subject of debate among former players, pundits and fans since he re-joined Manchester United from Juventus in the summer. Many believe his arrival has given Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a tactical headache.
Some have argued that Solskjaer has been forced to sacrifice tactics in favor of giving Ronaldo playing time. Watford boss Ranieri was asked about the same ahead of his side's clash with Manchester United.
Ranieri explained that he would happily take Ronaldo in his team and jokingly claimed that he would give the former Real Madrid star every single minute of playing time at Watford. He said:
"No, no, no! Give me Cristiano, give me, please. It's no problem for me. I'll let him play all the minutes."
Ranieri also hailed Ronaldo as one of the best players in the world. The Italian said:
"Cristiano is one of the best players in the world. He is good for football because I think a lot of young boys are looking [up to] Cristiano, are looking [at] the best players in the world and then he's a good attraction for football."
🗣️ "Give me Cristiano, please, it's no problem for me, I'll let him play all the minutes."
Claudio Ranieri speaks about Cristiano Ronaldo as Watford face Manchester United on Saturday. https://t.co/lmbXhmbtkH
As Watford prepare to lock horns with Manchester United, it remains to be seen if Ronaldo can fire his side to a win.
Cristiano Ronaldo's record against Claudio Ranieri's Sampdoria
Cristiano Ronaldo faced Claudio Ranieri's Sampdoria four times as a Juventus player over the last two seasons. The Portugal international helped the Old Lady to wins in each of those games.
The Manchester United star also scored in three of those four matches. Ronaldo will be looking to maintain his good record against Ranieri when the Red Devils face Watford on Saturday.