Cristiano Ronaldo will not return to Manchester United... for now.
According to UK publication Mail Online, Ronaldo's agent Jose Mendes has told the superstar to remain in Madrid for at least one more season. The news is the latest bit of bad news for fans who dreamed of seeing Ronaldo return to the Old Trafford.
On Monday, two different club representatives dismissed the notion of a Ronaldo transfer to Manchester United. "It's never even been mentioned in any of our board meetings, Cristiano Ronaldo," said club director and former Manchester star Sir Bobby Charlton. "He's a great player, he scores phenomenal goals, he loves the club, but he's not our player."
Real Madrid's Emilio Butragueño, a senior executive at the club, supported that notion when he stated that "Ronaldo is 28. He is under contract [until 2015] and we are very happy with him. We are delighted he is at Madrid. He is a fantastic professional and very ambitious in a positive way.
"His contribution to the team and the club has been amazing since he arrived. We are very grateful he came to us. We are very lucky that he plays for Real Madrid."
Sir Alex Ferguson had also stated a few weeks ago that "There hasn't been anything to encourage me to think Cristiano would come back here... As far as I am aware, there is nothing in it at all.
"Ronaldo has got two years left on his contract and it seems to me it is all part of the negotiations that are going on about a new deal," Ferguson noted. "Maybe his agent is playing the game. I think it is false hope."