"It's a great experience to play with him" - Manchester United star says Cristiano Ronaldo's winning mentality is a plus for the team

Manchester United star Raphael Varane recently praised his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and added that he is delighted to play alongside him at United. The Frenchman has opened up to Canal Plus about their relationship and how the duo would always have conversations about physical and mental preparations.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane have formed a great relationship since their previous stint with Real Madrid. The duo won four Champions League titles and a Spanish league together.

Under the guidance of Zinedine Zidane, Varane and Cristiano became pivotal members of the Madrid squad. Now, fate has brought them back together at Manchester United after both were signed by the club last summer.

In the aforementioned interview, Varane admitted that the 37-year-old Ronaldo's relentless winning mentality is always a plus for his teammates.

"We have a very good relationship," he said. "It's someone who likes to share, who likes to talk about everything he knows in terms of football, in terms of physical and mental preparation. We don't hesitate to talk about everything that surrounds the life of a professional footballer. It's a great experience to play with him. His competitive, winning mentality is a plus for the team."

Have Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane lived up to the expectations of Manchester United fans?

When Manchester United signed Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same transfer window, fans were elated. There were high hopes around United and many predicted that the Red Devils will mount a serious title challenge this season.

However, that hasn't been the case so far as United's struggles have continued. The team is currently placed fourth in the Premier League standings with 47 points from 27 games.

Varane initially found it hard to adapt to his new environment and was also affected by injuries. He has just a solitary assist so far for the team with no goals this season in 22 appearances. However, the Frenchman has improved immensely in the past few weeks and has gained momentum with some good performances for his team.

Cristiano, on the other hand, had a flying start to his second stint with Manchester United. However, since the start of the new year, the Portuguese striker has struggled to score goals and has found the net only once for his team.

Moreover, fans are getting extremely frustrated with United's forwards, including Cristiano, as they have been squandering chance after chance every game. These missed opportunities have cost the team many points and the Red Devils could soon find themselves out of the top-four race.

United's upcoming fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham on 6, 12 and 20 March respectively are all going to be extremely difficult for them. So it's high time for Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane to rise to the occasion and help their team get through this difficult phase.