‘Pendulum has swung’ – Rio reacts as Man Utd agree Ronaldo deal
Rio Ferdinand has praised Manchester United for agreeing to sign former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo back from Juventus.
The Portugal star was close to joining rivals Manchester City earlier in the week.
But United swooped in to organise a stunning deal with Juve, which could see Ronaldo arrive for €15million (£12.85m).
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Former Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson played a part in convincing Ronaldo to return to Old Trafford.
“Cristiano and Sir Alex Ferguson have got a bond,” Ferdinand said as he celebrated the forward’s return on his YouTube channel.
“Very few players get to have that in their career with a manager. Sir Alex played a massive part.
“There was no way Cristiano was coming to Man United without speaking to Sir Alex. Simple as that.”
The former defender continued: “The pendulum has swung. What a 24 hours. Man United have done what they needed to do.
“The Man United hierarchy, when they needed to move there was no looking back. They performed perfectly at every step. There was no looking over their shoulder, no hesitancy about it.
“There was an opportunity for Ronaldo to continue his history and legacy at this football club.
“If Man United had let that slip through their fingers and seen him go across the city to the other side, you’d have had security 24/7 at the stadium, not just the houses of the people involved in that.”
Ferdinand insisted Ronaldo’s arrival establishes United as the hottest ticket in world football.
“The attention on the club, the attention on the other players. You can’t put into words what it’s going to do for the dressing room and the fan base,” he added.
“He’ll get you 25-30 goals this season. That’s what he does – he outscored Lukaku last year in Serie A – but what he can do for Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho alone is worth bringing.
“He will show them what an A-lister, genuine superstar and an absolute obsessive professional lives and breathes on a daily basis.”
The 36-year-old, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, scored 118 goals during his first spell in Manchester. He helped the club to win three consecutive Premier League titles between 2007 and 2009, as well as the 2008 Champions League.
