‘I just love him’ – Chelsea’s £80m transfer target names Man Utd hero as his footballing idol

Ipswich prima Liam Delap has named Cristiano Ronaldo arsenic 1 of his biggest footballing idols, revealing however helium ‘loves everything about’ the iconic ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid forward.

After 3 unremarkable indebtedness spells distant from Manchester City, Delap appears to person recovered his location astatine Ipswich and has deed the crushed moving successful the Premier League this season.

In his opening 19 league games for the Tractor Boys, Delap has racked up 8 goals and 2 assists, with the nine sitting 18th connected their instrumentality to the English apical flight.

Delap’s goalscoring exploits person seen the striker wide tipped for a archetypal elder call-up up of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia successful March.

The 21-year-old has besides been attracting beardown involvement from a big of apical clubs with his red-hot form, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea credited with a beardown involvement successful Ipswich’s prized possession.

‘When I joined Ipswich I knew that the manager and everyone present astatine the nine was going to amended maine and assistance maine arsenic a player,’ Delap told Sky Sports up of Ipswich’s clash with his erstwhile broadside Manchester City this weekend.

‘Probably adjacent much than I imagined, I’ve managed to settee successful truly good and I’ve started the play truly well.

‘As a team, we look truly beardown and we’ve been getting amended week-on-week truthful hopefully I tin proceed to amended and support putting successful those performances.

‘I person acquisition present successful men’s shot and I’ve experienced a lot, adjacent though I’m inactive young.

‘I had my archetypal 2 loans and they astir apt didn’t spell arsenic I wanted them to but I astir apt learned much successful those pugnacious stages than I did erstwhile things are going well.

‘That’s the astir important thing, uncovering determination that suited me. I knew that I could get the champion retired of myself and I deliberation the manager and each the unit person truly helped maine bash that.’

On Ipswich caput manager Kieran McKenna, Delap added: ‘He’s conscionable an unthinkable person, he’s not conscionable a bully coach.

‘He manages to get the champion retired of everyone individually but besides manages to bash it to marque the squad better.

‘He astir apt plays to everyone’s strengths and tries to get the champion retired of everyone, portion besides maintaining that squad absorption and it’s moving I think.

‘We’ve been unlucky astatine points this play but you tin spot the performances we’re putting in, we’re astir successful each crippled and we’ve conscionable got to support trying to find that small spot of oomph to spell and get the results.’

Delap is already being spoken astir arsenic Harry Kane’s imaginable England successor and it’s wide the youngster has immense respect and admiration for the Three Lions captain.

But it appears five-time Ballon d’Or victor Ronaldo stands supra the remainder arsenic Delap’s biggest inspiration successful the game.

‘I deliberation from a young property I evidently admired Ronaldo who, successful my opinion, is the champion successful the world, successful history,’ helium explained.

‘I conscionable emotion him, I emotion everything astir him and conscionable truly respect him.

‘Recently, Harry Kane, you look astatine his wide crippled and conscionable however helium impacts games, his mentality, everything that he’s about.

‘It’s truthful inspiring for young strikers and particularly young players similar me.

Asked whether helium had managed to talk with Kane, Delap replied: ‘No, I’ve seen him astir St George’s Park and worldly a fewer times.

‘But I’ve ne'er spoken to him properly, no.’

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