Sir Alex Ferguson wants Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Manchester United after the pair recently held talks, according to reports. The Portugal international previously spent six years playing under the Scot at Old Trafford. And his future with the Red Devils is currently up in the air as Erik ten Hag prepares to take charge.
Manchester United re-signed Ronaldo in the summer, with the Portugal international going on to score an impressive 24 goals across all competitions.
But his future remains up in the air ahead of Ten Hag’s arrival from Ajax.
Now, The Mirror say Ronaldo and Ferguson have recently held talks over ‘cups of tea’ at their luxury homes in Cheshire.
And the Scot has told his former player that he feels he should stay at United in order to ‘protect his legacy’.
Real Madrid have been eyeing a stunning reunion with the 37-year-old, who quit the Bernabeu for Juventus in 2009.
Erik ten Hag: Man Utd’s 25-man squad for next season with six signings
The former Juventus and Real Madrid star wants to play as many games as possible next term.
Yet it’s unclear what plans Ten Hag currently has, with the club expected to sign a new striker.
Speaking after the Red Devils’ 3-0 win over Brentford on Monday night, Rangnick called on United to sign two forwards to help Ronaldo.
“Cristiano isn’t a central striker or does not want to play in that position,” Rangnick said.
“It’s obvious the club needs at least two new strikers who give this team more quality and more options. I wouldn’t even call it wingers.
THINK YOU KNOW SPORT? Test your sporting knowledge with our tricky quiz
“Two strikers and modern strikers, that do not necessarily have to be wingers.
“If you look into international football, there aren’t many top teams who still play with two strikers.
“Most play with either three strikers or a false nine.”
And he added: “If you look at Liverpool and Manchester City … they have in their squad five or six top-class strikers.
“Gabriel Jesus, until four weeks ago, hardly played [for City]. Now he’s playing again regularly.
Want the latest football news? Join our brand new Facebook group by clicking here
“You look at the number of players they have and if you ask me is he playing as central striker or winger? Is Jack Grealish a winger or striker?
“They’re all strikers and can play in different positions. They can also switch, they can rotate.
“Those kinds of players, we don’t have that many.”
Publicly, Ferguson has been quiet when quizzed about Ronaldo.
But he was overheard telling UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov that the veteran should have started in the 1-1 draw with Everton in October.