United return is hard - Ronaldo Sunday, July 09, 2006
Cristiano Ronaldo said Saturday that it was very unlikely that he would play for the Premiership club in the new season.
"It is very difficult for me to return to Manchester," he said after Portugal's 3-1 defeat against Germany in the Third Place play- off match played in Stuttgart on Saturday evening.
And Italy coach Marcello Lippi has dismissed speculation about a move to Manchester United after the World Cup. "There is nothing to it. You will see where I will be in a fortnight, but definitely not in Manchester, Lippi told a news conference on the eve of Italy's World Cup final against France.
Ronaldo had been booed by English fans during his country's
penalty shoot-out victory against England in the quarter-finals.
He was accused by fans of getting England striker Wayne Rooney sent off by demanding a red card for his Manchester United team-mate after he had trampled on a Portugal player.
"I have not done anything wrong, but the fans are against me. It is difficult to play in a country where the fans do not really want you and I do not think I can return there," said.
In the Lippi case, English daily The Sun and Italy's La Gazzetta Dello Sport reported Friday that Lippi, 58, would move to Manchester United to work alongside and possibly succeed Alex Ferguson as manager at Old Trafford.
Ferguson may step down in 2007 after two decades at the club. Lippi, for his part, has so far not spoken in public about his future after the World Cup.
Manchester United also dismissed the reports, with a spokesman quoted by the club website as saying: "There is no truth in the story about Lippi coming to Old Trafford. We are happy with our coaching set-up."
