Cristiano Ronaldo named just three Man Utd players as 'top professionals' with Real Madrid now keen to sign one of them

One of the three Manchester United players that was labelled a “top professional” by Cristiano Ronaldo is being linked with a big-money move to Real Madrid.

Back in November 2022, Ronaldo made some bold statements during a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, in which the five-time Ballon d’Or winner criticised United, then-manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s owners, the Glazer family.

Elsewhere in the interview, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner name-checked three players he believed had been “top professionals” during his second spell at Old Trafford.

Asked about which players he admired, Ronaldo replied: "In Manchester United, I can mention [Diogo] Dalot. He's young but very professional and I don't doubt that he's going to have longevity in football because he's young, smart, intelligent and very professional.

“Probably [Lisandro] Martinez, Casemiro is in his 30s, but I will say Dalot."

On the topic of Dalot, it appears Real Madrid have shown an interest in signing the Portuguese right-back from Manchester United, according to Spanish publication Relevo.

In fact, Los Blancos are said to have approached United about the availability of Dalot while Erik ten Hag was still in charge at Old Trafford.

Madrid reportedly value the defender at around €50 million [£41m] and could pursue him this summer, although the so-called 'main option' remains a move for Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Image credit: Getty

Dalot, meanwhile, has been a first-team regular for United in recent seasons – and will theme will likely continue under new manager Ruben Amorim.

The 25-year-old was full of praise for Amorim in a recent interview.

“Personally I don’t know him,” Dalot told the Premier League. “What I know is from what I see, from what I get from my national team team-mates. He’s obviously a fantastic coach, with a young mentality, but at the same time he knows what he wants.

“He’s very demanding – that’s what I can expect and I think that’s the perfect match for a club like this.

“The standards are really high. He is a person that you can see has really high standards and he stands by them, so I hope that can be a really good match and that we can win together. That’s what I hope the most.”