The Royals are just two points ahead of the drop zone and take on Chelsea after champions and current Barclays Premier League leaders United are due at the Madejski Stadium tomorrow.

United will arrive in Berkshire buoyed by last week's 6-0 Old Trafford demolition of Newcastle which saw the Portugal international net the hat-trick that took his goal tally for the season to 22 in just 25 games.

And Coppell, who wore the number seven shirt himself at United in the 1970s, could not help but pay tribute to the 22-year-old.

He said: "He has broken the mould for wide players. I played there and I used to think one in six was a good rate of scoring but I look at his record and it is almost one in one at the moment.

"And it is not as if he just stands up there and doesn't track back or go with runners. He creates, he scores and he does the donkey work. And look at the size of him - he is a freak for the position almost."

United have valued Ronaldo at £75million in a bid to put off the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, the only two clubs on the globe who could realistically afford to prise him away.

And Coppell was convinced he was worth every penny.

"You could sign seven other players and they would not have the same effect as he would," he said. "So he is value for money."

Reading have two experienced international full-backs in Nicky Shorey of England and Scotland's Graeme Murty and Coppell was convinced they would not be afraid of the task of trying to stop Ronaldo, who makes a habit of swapping flanks.

He said: "That's where you make your own reputation. There are 18 full-backs across the country saying 'I want to play against Ronaldo because if I do well against him then I'm the business and everyone will notice'.

"Play well against these boys and everyone knows about it. If we get a result everyone will be talking about it."

Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann was expecting to be busy nonetheless and was particularly wary of Ronaldo's ability to make the most of free-kicks.

He said: "We have been training with the balls for a while so we know what is going to happen but once in a while you see one go in. Your team-mates ask why you didn't stop it and you have to say to them 'just wait until you see it from behind' because they do swerve and are unpredictable. Shots you think are going straight move at the last second."

The USA international kept a clean sheet the last time the two sides met however as the season began with a goalless draw at Old Trafford.

Hahnemann added: "We are going to have to run around like crazed chickens. We are supposed to lose and I am going to be one of the busiest guys on the pitch tomorrow but all the pressure is on them.

"We have a great home record this year and we held them up there but they are going to be fired up and are not going to take us lightly, which sometimes can happen."