Ferguson determined to keep Ronaldo

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is adamant that Cristiano Ronaldo will remain a key figure at Old Trafford – once he has recovered from an ankle operation.

The two men met in Portugal for clear-the-air talks after Ronaldo had sent out mixed messages about his future.

With Real Madrid an outspoken suitor of the gifted winger, Ferguson decided to clear the air in South Africa, where his side are playing in the Vodacom tournament.

He said: “The meeting went well. I think we both put across our points of view; where we stand and where the player stands.

“I can say he will be a Manchester United player next season. That’s our stance. He won’t be sold.

“It is not a difficult position. I was on my holiday and I was not going to interrupt my holiday, believe me. I wasn’t panicked because the player is under contract so the strength and the rights are with Manchester United.

“What we have done well is to say nothing. We’ve kept quiet on this matter and kept it private and what I said to Cristiano remains private.

“I did go and see him last week in Portugal and it was very amicable and there were no problems. That’s where we are and we carry on.”

Ronaldo will be out for three months and Ferguson said: “He is on crutches for the first four weeks and will be in rehabilitation for the next four weeks.

“Then the following four weeks he will be back into football training. The time mapped out is three months and we won’t bring him back a day earlier than that.

“I think when players have operations we have a responsibility that the player comes back 100% and we will carry that out as we normally do.

“There will be no risk-taking; we never take risks. Our goal is to always make sure that the player gets back 100% and that will be the same in the case of Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Meanwhile United have told supporters to be on their guard regarding counterfeit merchandise.

With the help of the South African authorities, teams of experts will patrol grounds at training sessions and matches throughout the tournament.

According to United, more than 90,000 items worth more than £1.2m (€1.5m) have been seized in the last five years.

Chief executive David Gill said: “Fakes are generally of inferior quality and you can rarely return an item when anything goes wrong as the seller has moved on.

“We are confident we can protect many of our loyal fans who want to show their support for the team.”