"We think Cristiano is the best in this league and have done so for a while.
"The important thing for him is to be accepted.
"They still boo him away from home, like they did at Aston Villa last week. But those same fans are petrified whenever he gets the ball.
"There is no battle between the two of them [Rooney and Ronaldo], they are the jokers in the dressing room and we have all been subject to their pranks.
"I don't think Cristiano's form matters to Wayne because he has quite a laid-back, carefree attitude to life. He just gets on with it and enjoys himself.
"Cristiano is a fantastic lad, and he is getting better all the time.
"He is a more experienced player now and more mature. He practises a lot and works really hard at his game and now he is getting the rewards."
And referring to his 15 goal bet with Ronaldo:
"He thinks I will owe him some money but I am going to change the bet when he gets to 15.
"I can do that because I am the manager."