'Ronaldo may stay longer than a season'

Updated 10.19 Fri Aug 08 2008

Keywords: Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has said he is confident Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Manchester United for longer than a single season.

Earlier this week, Ronaldo confirmed he would remain at Old Trafford despite his love of boyhood heroes Real Madrid.

"As he gets older I think he will appreciate being here more and more. The longer people stay at this club you tend to not want to leave" - Sir Alex Ferguson

The 23-year-old winger has been chased by the Spanish giants for much of the summer.

It appeared inevitable Ronaldo would leave, only for Ferguson to talk him round during a meeting in Portugal last month.

And despite hefty opinion to the contrary, Ferguson thinks he could keep Ronaldo for longer.

He said: "As he gets older I think he will appreciate being here more and more. The longer people stay at this club you tend to not want to leave.

"Rio Ferdinand is an obvious example of that. But really I'm just pleased we have managed to put all this Real Madrid stuff to bed. They know what they are dealing with now."

Ronaldo is currently recovering from an ankle operation and no date has been set for him to play again.