I dream every night of scoring a Man U winner says Hull’s Clucas

SAM CLUCAS gets the chance to fulfil his biggest football ambition tonight – by scoring the winner at Old Trafford. There’s just one minor hitch, though. If the Hull midfielder claims the goal he craves, it will have to be AGAINST his beloved Manchester United and not FOR the team he has supported all his life. Not that there will be any divided loyalties when Clucas and his Hull teammates tackle Jose Mourinho’s high-flying Red Devils. The Lincoln-born 26-year-old may have a deep affection for United but his sole focus is on helping relegationhaunted Tigers dodge the drop. Clucas said: ”All my family are massive United fans and so am I.

“In fact I go to bed every night dreaming of scoring the winner for United at the Theatre Of Dreams.

“We went there a couple of weeks ago in the first leg of our EFL Cup semifinal and I was in total awe.

“I felt like I should have been a mascot rather than one of the players, so much so that I wanted to walk down the tunnel and out onto the pitch holding Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s hand!

“And after the game I just had to get Wayne Rooney’s shirt. I couldn’t miss an opportunity like that – getting the No.10 jersey worn by United’s all-time record scorer.

“But I was too shy and embarrassed to go into United’s dressing room and ask for it myself so I had to get one of our lads to ask for me.

“Playing a league game at Old Trafford is a dream come true for me but there’s no question about who I want to win this one.

“We are fighting for our lives and really need the points to get out of that bottom three.”

Italian international centre-back Andrea Ranocchia, signed on loan from Inter Milan for the rest of the campaign, will be handed an instant debut for City if skipper Michael Dawson fails to shake off a minor knock.

Hull boss Marco Silva (above) said: ”Andrea will be a good signing for us – his quality and experience will be a big asset to the team.”