Ronaldo cites ‘heat of moment’ after left off Manchester United squad
Sir Alex Ferguson is facing a potential £100m fine for breaching the Premier League’s regulations on signing players from clubs under the age of 18.
Ronaldo’s omission from Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United squad means he will miss out on a new contract that could raise his salary to £250,000 a week.
However, Ferguson said that there had been a “heat of the moment” decision to make him miss out, and it was “not because he is under 18”.
“There’s been a heat of the moment decision. I think he is a great footballer, he’s one of the brightest players that we have seen in a long time,” he added.
“I’m sure he would want to be on his own. I think he would want to be playing. I don’t think he will be a number nine or number 10 for Manchester United any time soon, but he is a fantastic footballer, a great talent.”
United’s next opponents will be Manchester City, who are also without the international left back Fabian Delph.