We always knew he'd stay - and hoped you took advantage of our 7/4 tip when the bookies were certain he'd be heading to Madrid several weeks ago.

However, that is not to say we're particularly happy about it. Some of Ronaldo's comments over the summer have been disgusting and showed a complete lack of respect to the club. His 42-goal haul last season was tremendous and were the catalyst of our double heroics - but Ronaldo's want-away response has turned fans against him.

Ronaldo backed-up comments from Sepp Blatter which suggested he was a "slave" - despite his £100,000-per-week pay cheque. He described a move to the Bernabeu as a "dream, forward move" and did nothing to squash speculation that has left a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the football club all season.

There's no doubt that United could have commanded a huge transfer fee for Ronaldo. His form last season means his price tag will surely never be higher. However, Sir Alex Ferguson did not want to lose the winger and, in turn, strengthen the hand of one of the club's most prominent European rivals.

Fergie has always remained adamant that Ronaldo would stay and, finally, this week the Portuguese international has committed at least another twelve months to MUFC.

He said: "Manager Sir Alex Ferguson heard my arguments, I heard his and it was felt the best thing would be for me to stay.

"I can confirm that next season I will play for Manchester United."

Ronaldo went onto reassure fans that he's determined to earn his cash next season and perform well in the red jersey. He also took a huge dose of humble pie by taking responsibility for intense speculation about his future which has dominated transfer talk at United all summer.

"I was responsible for all this controversy," added the 23-year-old.

"I was the one who publicly expressed my desire to go to Real Madrid. I ended up being, even involuntarily, responsible for the poor relationship between the two clubs."

However, he finished the interview by once again admitting that a move to Madrid was his preferred option: "My desire was, for some time, that Manchester had accepted my transfer to Madrid. Saying otherwise would be to trick people and my own consciousness."

Ronaldo must now win back the Old Trafford masses and perform on the pitch. He's upset a lot of people this summer but has a golden opportunity to put it right as the Red Devils defend their Premier League and European crowns. If this is his last season at United, let's hope it's another cracker.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS