"Ronaldo will be our player next season - and for the rest of his contract. To be honest, I haven't paid much attention to what Cristiano is supposed to have said about his future, but he will be back on July 31 to start training again with us.
"I haven't spoken to him since the World Cup, but there have been other players down the years who have had stick. David Beckham came back after the World Cup in 1998 and had it, while Eric Cantona had it all the time - everywhere he went.
"They can only boo for so long, and if you're playing well and winning, it quietens them down. There will be no problem with Cristiano and it certainly didn't affect him when he was booed at the World Cup. He reacted positively and played well. He's got a fantastic attitude and he's a really strong character."
The Times:
Two unhappy players, two different ways of handling them. Breaking his silence yesterday on the issue of Cristiano Ronaldo's future, Sir Alex Ferguson said that the Portugal winger will be staying at Manchester United whether he likes it or not — and he will not, particularly because Ruud van Nistelrooy, never his favourite team-mate, could complete a move to Real Madrid today after 14 months of agitation at Old Trafford.
Ferguson has not spoken to either player over the summer. The manager's insistence that Ronaldo will stay — "you can bet your life on that" — is based not on an intelligence operation but on a refusal to countenance selling him. The manager suggested that Ronaldo, vilified by some after his role in England's elimination by Portugal from the World Cup, will thrive on the hostility that awaits him on his return, although the experience with Van Nistelrooy might tell him that things can never be the same once a player decides that he wants to leave
The ferocity with which Ferguson made these comments hinted at anger with Ronaldo, who has talked of joining Real on three occasions over the past three weeks, but he insisted otherwise as he backed the 21-year-old to overcome the hostility of rival supporters.
