Sir Alex Ferguson has rightly claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo will receive a fantastic reception when he comes back to Old Trafford. At times, he has had a difficult relationship with the Real Madrid fans, whilst United fans still sing his name from the stands, this season more than ever since he left in 2009.

“One thing is for sure, he’ll get a great reception when he comes to Old Trafford and when he comes on the pitch,” Ferguson said. “After that, they can boo all they like! United fans have always been that way with players who performed for us. Players who are part of the history of the success of the club are recognised when they come back. We’re proud of the part we played in his career. To get six years out of a boy when he comes at 17 and played for us for six years, we’ve done well. He always had a hankering to go to Madrid in his career and we helped him on that way. It wasn’t disloyalty because I got another year out of him when he wanted to go the previous year. He honoured that and was fantastic for us. He went with our blessing. My way of looking at it is that we were lucky to have him for six years and the United fans would share that.”