Danny Simpson is confident that coming up against Cristiano Ronaldo
in training will prepare him for anything Coventry can throw at
him.
Manchester United tackle Iain Dowie's side in the third round of
the Carling Cup at Old Trafford with young full-back Simpson
expecting to have recovered sufficiently from a double hernia
operation to make his first senior appearance.
With Sir Alex Ferguson planning on sending out a young United side,
Simpson feels the skills he has learned from facing Ronaldo will
stand him in good stead.
He said: "You have to be on your game every time you have a
training session otherwise it turns into a nightmare.
"It's horrible when he runs at you but if you do well against him
it is a great confidence booster.
"It is also fantastic for your concentration levels. If you can do
a decent job against him every day then you can do a decent job
against anyone."
While Simpson is hoping to be in the starting XI, third-choice
goalkeeper Tom Heaton will look on from the bench with Tomasz
Kuszczak set to replace Edwin van der Sar.
But the 21-year-old is happy to learn from the star names in front
of him and is confident his time will come.
He said: "I am eager to make my breakthrough just like everyone
else. With both Edwin and Tomasz in front of me, I accept that is a
little difficult at the moment.
"But my ambition is to play at a top club and Manchester United is
the biggest club in the world.
"Okay, I could be playing somewhere else but would I be learning
what I am learning now? Would I be training with the best players
in the world? Probably not.
"You just weigh everything up and make the decision that is right
for you."
