Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Manchester United, confirms new manager

As the Premier League season drew to a close, it became clear that Manchester United would not be able to finish in the top four of the table. They barely held on to sixth place, and the lack of Champions League football next season raised questions about whether superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo would force a move.

Last summer, the Portuguese star made a sensational comeback to Old Trafford amid high hopes that he could help bring the club back to title contention. Despite stellar performances from Ronaldo all season, it was not enough to get United out of the hole that they had been languishing in since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Now, new manager Erik ten Hag hit the ground running after taking over the reins as soon as the season was completed. In his first press conference as Manchester United coach, he immediately made it clear that he will be relying heavily on Ronaldo in the upcoming season.

When asked if Ronaldo will stay, the former Ajax manager confidently told the press on Monday: "Of course. He will bring goals!"

Meanwhile, Ronaldo is being linked with a Real Madrid comeback after the breakdown of the Spanish giants' attempt to sign Kylian Mbappe. The hashtag #vuelveronaldo (Ronaldo returns) trended shortly after Mbappe revealed his decision to stay with PSG. However, neither Ronaldo nor Real Madrid has said anything about the clamour.

The 52-year-old Dutchman took over from interim coach Ralf Rangnick, just days after lifting the Eredivisie trophy with Ajax. According to Marca, he admitted at the press conference that he knew he had a big task ahead of him, but he will play by his own rules even though his predecessor will stay on in a consultancy role with the club.

Ten Hag also touched the subject of United captain Harry Maguire, who had been receiving a ton of criticism throughout the recently concluded season. There were calls to strip him of his captaincy, with some even speculating that he should be seeking a move this summer.

"He has done a good job, he's a great player, he's achieved a lot in his contribution to Manchester United, so I'm looking forward to working with him," said Ten Hag about Maguire.