Ruud van Nistelrooy expects Cristiano Ronaldo to
remain at Manchester United - and believes Real Madrid's
preparations for the new season have been hampered by constant
speculation surrounding the winger.
Whether or not the winger will follow Van Nistelrooy's path from
Manchester United to the Bernabeu has been the hottest topic of
sporting debate in Britain and Spain this summer.
Real coach Bernd Schuster yesterday admitted that the club have
not given up hope of luring Ronaldo to the Bernabeu. But whatever
happens to his most prized asset, Ferguson can seemingly rest
assured that the protracted saga has had the effect of
destabilising one of his club's biggest rivals for this season's
Champions League crown.
'It got a bit too far maybe, it is such an issue at the moment
in Spain. It gets a bit over the top,' Van Nistelrooy told
Radio Five Live.
'A couple of our players, they made the comment that there was
only talk about him and not about the current team and stars, and
everybody's waiting for the next rumour without anything
concrete.'
Asked whether he expected Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford for
the forthcoming campaign, the Dutchman added: 'I think so, if you
hear the statements from United. It doesn't really sound like
they'll let him go.'
