Rio Ferdinand says Manchester United have missed the boat to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and has urged the Old Trafford giants to hang onto the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for another season.
Ronaldo, 37, is back training with his United teammates after missing their summer tour due to a family matter. It came amid ongoing speculation over his future, too, after the Portugal captain held crunch talks with Erik ten Hag and other key figures at United alongside his agent Jorge Mendes.
Several clubs including Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea distanced themselves from a summer swoop and Ronaldo, depending on match sharpness, could feature for United in the Premier League curtain raiser against Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon (2pm). READ MORE: United frustrated by Frenkie de Jong delay Speaking as part of his promotion for William Hill bookmakers, Ferdinand disagreed with the likes of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher who have urged United to sell the Portuguese star.
Ferdinand said: "People are saying you've got to let Ronaldo go. Well, get someone in who can score 24-25 goals first. "Darwin Nunez has gone, Erling Haaland has gone and Robert Lewandowski has gone.