Cristiano Ronaldo has actually got one thing he wanted at Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo brought Old Trafford to a standstill when sealing his jaw-dropping return to Manchester United from Juventus last summer. However, while there might be no fairytale ending to his second coming, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will leave supporters with more than a trip down memory lane.

No matter what Ronaldo has or hasn't achieved since heading back to the place where it all began on a global scale, the legacy he built during six sensational years between 2003 and 2009 was never going to be dented. Even one or two whispers over his summer conduct will not threaten that.

Speculation over the Portugal captain remains at fever pitch, though, while January could see him depart for a second time. It would draw the line under one history-making chapter and, in one sense, open the page for another in which the former Juventus and Real Madrid superstar will have also played his part.

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After watching Ronaldo develop from a fleet-footed trickster to goal machine during his first stint, supporters and headline writers were naturally star-struck when their dreams turned to reality last summer. Ronaldo was back, and a menacing yet enticing gauntlet laid down for what he might brand as the next generation.

In an otherwise dismal season for the club, Ronaldo flew the flag single-handedly, at times, to underline he was no spent force. Despite being away for a decade, the Portuguese was the biggest threat United had - so much and yet so little had changed since he swapped Manchester for Madrid.

Goals flowed as expected, but standards had slipped at Old Trafford post-Sir Alex Ferguson and Ronaldo could not bite his lip and accept the new normal. All the while,