Juventus vs AC Milan: Gennaro Gattuso hails Cristiano Ronaldo as ‘the perfect machine’

Gattuso's Milan take on Juventus in the final of the Supercoppa Italiana in Jeddah this afternoon

AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso has hailed Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo as “the perfect machine” ahead of the Supercoppa Italiana final in Jeddah this afternoon.

After a slow start to life in Italy, Ronaldo has now scored 15 goals and added eight assists in 25 matches, propelling the Old Lady to a nine point lead ahead of Napoli at the top of the Serie A table.

“I think Cristiano has become an incredible player over the last seven or eight years,” Gattuso said.

“When I met him a few years ago he was doing a lot of show but now he stopped doing it a while ago. Now, he does everything with vehemence, attacking with depth. He wants to score and wants to give you hard times and put the ball into the net.

“He has changed in the last seven or eight years, now he is the perfect machine. The older he gets the more he sprints.

“He seems a bloke without age, here you understand what kind of top player he has been over the last eight years.”

Yet it’s Milan’s own striking star, Gonzalo Higuain, on loan to the club from Juventus, who has overshadow the build-up to the cup final. The Argentinian has only scored five goals in 16 appearances this season and is being pursued by Chelsea as a potential replacement for Alvaro Morata.

Milan are already lagging 22 points behind the league leaders at the halfway stage of the season.