Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale and Manchester United expect him to remain at Old Trafford, despite reports linking the Portuguese star with a sensational move to Chelsea.
United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League and lack of signings so far this summer has led to reports that Ronaldo may want to leave as pre-season begins on Monday with 12 to 15 players expected to report for new manager Erik ten Hag’s first training session. The 37-year-old won’t be one of them due to his recent appearances for Portugal in the Nations League.
His agent Jorge Mendes met Chelsea’s new co-owner Todd Boehly last week and Ronaldo was mentioned during the meeting, but Ten Hag has confirmed that Ronaldo is part of his future plans.
Ronaldo returned to United last summer, 12 years after originally leaving the club for Real Madrid, and netted 24 goals in 38 games to finish as the club’s top scorer in all competitions.
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Man Utd insist Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale despite reports he could leave this summer. Sky Sports discusses why the forward is likely to stay under Erik ten Hag.
He will be 38 when his United contract runs out next summer.
Speaking in an interview with the club, Ronaldo said: “I was happy, of course, to be back in a club that really raised my career, so it was unbelievable, the feeling when I came back again. It was nice to feel the supporters – the happiness of them was great.
“I was and still am very happy to be here, and what I have to say to the fans is they are amazing. Even when we lost games, they always support us, they always are with us. The supporters are always in my heart and it’s the people that we all should respect because they are always on our side.
“For me, the most important thing is to try to win the games and try to win some championship or some cup, but I believe that Manchester will be where they belong. As I say before, sometimes it takes time but I still believe.”
Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo can continue to provide goals for the team and describes Harry Maguire as a ‘great player’ in his first news conference as Manchester United’s new manager
Ten Hag swiftly announced that he was eager to keep Ronaldo after being unveiled as the new United manager.
Asked if Ronaldo fits into his project, Ten Hag said: “Of course.”
On what Ronaldo will bring, he simply added: “Goals!”