Ronaldo believes Real players 'more appreciated' by Zidane

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo thinks Zinedine Zidane has brought their season back on track very quickly after taking charge of the Spanish giants in January.

Real were off to a bumpy start to the campaign under Rafa Benitez who was sacked in early January following a string of poor results and widespread reports that the Spaniard did not get on with some of his key players.

After Zidane's arrival to the Real Madrid's main team from Castilla 'B' team, they have moved within one point of leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

They also have the opportunity to seal a Champions League final berth when they host Manchester City on Wednesday after a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium last week.

One of the players reported to have been unhappy under Benitez, Ronaldo hopes the Frenchman stays in charge for a long time.

"I think we feel more appreciated under Zidane. We feel his affection. We know he's in a period of adaptation, but things have come together very quickly and I'm really happy for him," ESPNFC quoted the 31-year-old forward as saying to UEFA's official media.

"I always admired him as a player, and now as a coach as well, for how behaves, how he deals with the players. He's a coach who I would like to see stay at Real Madrid."

Ronaldo, who missed this weekend's La Liga match against Real Sociedad for a nagging thigh injury, is in a race to be fit for Real's clash with City. He trained with the team on Sunday.