Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale both envisioned as ‘keys’ for Rafa Benitez’s Real Madrid

'Ronaldo, Bale, all of them are so good' says Rafa Benitez as he sets out to the task of getting his ultra-talented strike pairing to reach their full potential.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Real Madrid finished second in La Liga in 2014/15. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images
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Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez says he intends to forge ahead with the project of fashioning Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale into a world-conquering attacking pair.

Benitez has been grilled over how he intends to deploy Ronaldo and Bale after reports the pair were unhappy about the positions they typically played under sacked former manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Benitez has tried a number of different line-ups during training in Melbourne ahead of Real’s International Champions Cup opener against AS Roma on Saturday, fuelling speculation the Briton might play a more central role in the Spaniard’s attacking setup.

Managing the million-dollar egos in the dressing room will be one of Benitez’s most demanding tasks and the 55-year-old treaded gently when discussing his plans for the pair.

“Ronaldo, Bale, all of them are so good,” he said.

“All of them have an option ... Ronaldo is a key player for us. Bale is a key.”

Benitez has been contracted at the world's richest club for three seasons to rebound from a trophy-less 2014/15 season for the La Liga gaints in which they surrendered both their Champions League title and domestic Copa del Rey crown. They were also edged by eternal rivals Barcelona for the league title, despite scoring eight more goals than the champions.

The problem, to that end, were the 17 more goals they conceded. And Benitez has also declared Real must now improve their defence, so Sergio Ramos is not leaving the club according to the new manager.

Ramos has been linked to a move to Manchester United for a number of weeks, despite having two years left on his contract.

According to Spanish media reports, Real have already rejected offers of over £28 million (Dh161m) from the Premier League club for the 29-year-old Ramos.

Benitez was reluctant to discuss transfer speculation but was forthright about the status of his seasoned central defender.

“In terms of Sergio Ramos, there’s a lot of talk about his situation,” Benitez told reporters in Melbourne on Friday. “For me, he is an enormous professional. In person, he applies himself, he does everything that the team and I ask of him.

“And for me, the matter, the president has already commented that he is staying with the club.

“I have spoken to him at length in the summer about his ideas, about his future. I see Sergio as an integral part of our team, he’s a winner and that’s what we need in our team.”

United manager Louis van Gaal is seeking to shore up his club’s defence to help improve on last season’s fourth-place finish in the Premier League.

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