Ronaldo not for sale - United

Manchester United today declared their intention to keep hold of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The future of the Portugal winger has been the subject of intense speculation over the past three weeks, with the 21-year-old twice claiming he would like to move to Spain.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson initially suggested he would try to keep Ronaldo at Old Trafford and those comments have been reinforced by the Old Trafford outfit this morning.

“Manchester United has noticed the increasing media speculation over the future of Cristiano Ronaldo,” said a statement released by the Red Devils.

“The club can confirm there is no possibility of Cristiano being sold.

“Cristiano recently signed a new contract until 2010 and the club fully expects him to honour that contract.

“The club will not listen to any offers for Cristiano.

“Cristiano is one of the brightest young stars in world football, as demonstrated by his performances at the World Cup and Manchester United is not in the business of selling their best young players.”

The statement will come as a warning shot to both Ronaldo and Real Madrid, whose new coach Fabio Capello is an admirer of the youngster.

It is not known whether United have contacted the player directly since the weekend, when he emerged from Portugal’s third-place play-off defeat to Germany and condemned Ferguson for failing to publicly back him in the wake of the furore which erupted over his involvement in Wayne Rooney’s dismissal in the quarter-final clash with England.

The statement was a huge slap in the face for the United boss, who threw a protective arm around Ronaldo during a turbulent period last season when the death of his father was followed by unfounded rape allegations.

It has been reported Ferguson despatched assistant Carlos Queiroz, who has always enjoyed a close personal relationship with Ronaldo, to speak to the player to try to establish his intentions.

Whether those rumours are true, and whether Queiroz was successful in his quest, is not known but United have now made their position perfectly clear.