“I would 100 per cent put my money” – Premier League star talks up Cristiano Ronaldo as man for ‘big occasions’

West Ham United’s Declan Rice has claimed he is always willing to put his money on Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo to deliver on the biggest occasions.

Declan Rice has long been linked with a potential move to Manchester United. The 23-year old midfielder is expected to cost around £100 million and is under contract with the Hammers until 2024. He recent joined Sky Sports pundit and Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who asked the England midfielder a series of “41 questions”.

As part of the session, Neville asked Rice to name a player who always delivers on the biggest occasion. Rice’s answer will delight Manchester United fans as he chose five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese won four of his five awards at Real Madrid and is also the all-time leading scorer in Los Blancos' history.

Declan Rice claimed there was nobody better than Cristiano Ronaldo for the big occasions:

“Got to say Ronaldo. 100 per cent, Ronaldo. The penalties that he scored in big moments, Champions League finals, [other] tournaments, I would 100 per cent put my money on CR7 for the big occasions.”

Declan Rice praises Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of potential summer move to Manchester United

Declan Rice is widely accepted as the solution to Manchester United’s midfield conundrum. West Ham captain Mark Noble only recently compared Rice to the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes. Noble claimed that the 23-year-old had all he needed to emulate the Premier League legends.

Under David Moyes, the England star has gone from strength to strength and has improved his attacking game. The midfielder regularly goes on driving midfield runs and is perfectly capable of getting on the end of crosses and passes into the box. Declan Rice has three goals and four assists for West Ham United this season and is expected to improve his goal involvement in the coming weeks.

Manchester United decided against signing Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Haidara in January and reportedly want to be patient with their approach. The Old Trafford hierarchy have identified Declan Rice as their long-term midfield target and are expected to throw big money at him in the summer.

Of course, with other clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City also interested, Manchester United might still have to go for a cheaper alternative. Options apart from the two mentioned above include Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips.