Raul Jimenez Would Have 'Tough Fight' At Juventus Due To Cristiano Ronaldo, Coach Says

A top prospect’s national side coach has explained why he would pick Manchester United over Juventus for his player, revealing that he believes his striker would be forced to fight with Cristiano Ronaldo for a position at Juve.

Wolverhampton Wanderers star Raul Jimenez has been one of the top prospects drawing interest from Europe’s top five leagues. Real Madrid and Liverpool used to be the frontrunners in chasing after the Mexican striker, but the Reds suddenly decided to back down.

Serie A giants Juventus capitalized on the situation and reportedly started to pursue Jimenez. However, Jimenez’s Mexico manager, Gerardo "Tata" Martino, recently told ESPN's “Futbol Picante” that he thinks his star player would have to compete with Ronaldo in Juve and would be better suited for Manchester United.

"At Juventus, [Jimenez] will have more of a fight because [Cristiano] Ronaldo shares the inside of the pitch with whoever plays alongside him, with [Paulo] Dybala or with [Gonzalo] Higuain and maybe he has a tougher fight there," Martino predicted.

According to Martino, the Red Devils are also stacked with talented forwards, but none of them is “a pure no. 9” like Jimenez.

"Looking at it from the outside today I cannot see a specialist No. 9 like Raul at United. There are many forwards like [Marcus] Rashford, [Anthony] Martial and the boy who now plays as right-winger: [Mason] Greenwood, but since Romelu Lukaku left I can't see a pure No. 9 like Raul,” he pointed out.

Martino and Jimenez have forged a great relationship in Mexico. Before coaching Mexico’s national team, Martino also managed Barcelona during the 2013-14 season but left after 12 months.

Jimenez has been in his best form for the Wolves this season. The prolific striker already tallied a total of 15 goals under his name in the Premier League. The Mexican sensation has helped his side sit five points off a Champions League place, with Man United being the only club one place above them.

Prior to being linked to big clubs across Europe, Jimenez already made headlines in the past by once becoming the most searched soccer player on the internet, beating the likes of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He was able to back it up inside the pitch and is now one of the most talked-about prospects this summer.

However, Jimenez once addressed the transfer rumors and insisted that he’s “fighting to qualify for the Champions League” with the Wolves. “I think that I made the right decision to come here [to Wolves] and I do not regret it,” he said.