Cristiano Ronaldo Won’t Join Manchester United, Insists Former Coach

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Real Madrid has been the source of much speculation for several weeks now. In fact, it’s actually become borderline impossible to keep track of whether he is set to stay or leave the Bernabeu.

However, one of the Portuguese player’s former coaches, Mike Phelan, has now indicated that the current Ballon d’Or holder is actually going to remain in Spain at Real Madrid.

During a discussion with IBTimes, via Squawka, Phelan, who worked with Ronaldo during the forward’s time at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009, admitted that he is unlikely to ever return to the English soccer behemoths.

“Ronaldo loved his time at Manchester United and if Manchester United were interested in him again then he would listen to that because part of his career has come through Man United. But listen, he is where he is because of him being Ronaldo, and at the moment they’re successful, Madrid are successful. So I can’t see why he would think about coming back to Manchester United now.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked to a move back to Manchester United for several years now.

Ronaldo has never made a secret about how much he adored his time at Old Trafford, while Manchester United’s fans have continued to sing his name ever since he moved to Real Madrid for around $140 million in 2009.

However speculation increased exponentially in September after Manchester United splurged $250 million on several players in the summer. This led many to assume that they would look to bring Ronaldo back to the club so that he could assist their pursuit to return to the summit of English soccer.

Meanwhile, despite these rumors, Ronaldo has continued to do what he does best; scoring goal after goal after goal.

Ronaldo’s form this season has been simply remarkable. In just 14 La Liga games he has notched 25 goals, plus he has been an integral member of Real Madrid’s squad as they have embarked on a 22-game winning steak in all competitions.

Cristiano Ronaldo is also the red-hot favorite to reclaim the Ballon d’Or accolade that he collected last winter. Ronaldo will compete against Bayern Munich’s World Cup winning goalkeeper, Manuel Neur, and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi for the gong to reward the best soccer player of 2014. The winner will be announced on January 12, 2015.

If Ronaldo does win the accolade it will be the third time that he has collected the award, which will mean he is just one behind Lionel Messi‘s total of four Ballon d’Ors.

[Image via Tapchidanong]