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

Ipswich star Liam Delap has named Cristiano Ronaldo as one of his biggest footballing idols, revealing how he ‘loves everything about’ the iconic ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid forward.

After a trio of unremarkable loan spells away from Manchester City, Delap appears to have found his home at Ipswich and is firing on all cylinders in the Premier League this season.

In his opening 19 league games for the Tractor Boys, Delap has racked up eight goals and two assists, with the club sitting 18th in the table on their return to the English top flight.

Delap’s goalscoring exploits have seen the striker widely tipped for a first senior call-up ahead of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia in March.

And it’s not just Thomas Tuchel keeping a close eye on Delap’s performances, with a host of top clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, believed to be monitoring the 21-year-old ahead of a possible bidding war in the summer.

‘When I joined Ipswich I knew that the manager and everyone here at the club was going to improve me and help me as a player,’ Delap told Sky Sports ahead of Ipswich’s clash with his former side Manchester City this weekend.

‘Probably even more than I imagined, I’ve managed to settle in really well and I’ve started the season really well.

‘As a team, we look really strong and we’ve been getting better week-on-week so hopefully I can continue to improve and keep putting in those performances.

‘I have experience now in men’s football and I’ve experienced a lot, even though I’m still young.

‘I had my first two loans and they probably didn’t go as I wanted them to but I probably learned more in those tough stages than I did when things are going well.

‘That’s the most important thing, finding somewhere that suited me. I knew that I could get the best out of myself and I think the manager and all the staff have really helped me do that.’

On Ipswich head coach Kieran McKenna, Delap added: ‘He’s just an incredible person, he’s not just a good coach.

‘He manages to get the best out of everyone individually but also manages to do it to make the team better.

‘He probably plays to everyone’s strengths and tries to get the best out of everyone, while also maintaining that team focus and it’s working I think.

‘We’ve been unlucky at points this season but you can see the performances we’re putting in, we’re almost in every game and we’ve just got to keep trying to find that little bit of oomph to go and get the results.’

Delap is already being spoken about as Harry Kane’s potential England successor and it’s clear the youngster has huge respect and admiration for the Three Lions captain.

But it appears five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo stands above the rest as Delap’s biggest inspiration in the game.

‘I think from a young age I obviously admired Ronaldo who, in my opinion, is the best in the world, in history,’ he explained.

‘I just love him, I love everything about him and just really admire him.

‘Recently, Harry Kane, you look at his overall game and just how he impacts games, his mentality, everything that he’s about.

‘It’s so inspiring for young strikers and especially young players like me.

Asked whether he had managed to speak with Kane, Delap replied: ‘No, I’ve seen him around St George’s Park and stuff a few times.

‘But I’ve never spoken to him properly, no.’

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