Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become a United player again after leaving for Real Madrid in 2009, with his transfer from Juventus subject to the agreement of personal terms, securing a visa and undergoing a medical.
The move has been welcomed by United players past and current, with Ronaldo’s former teammate Rio Ferdinand praising the United board for moving quickly after Manchester City had appeared to be the 36-year-old’s likely destination.
He said: “Wow! 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."
United players took to social media to welcome Ronaldo back to the club he joined in 2003 and where he spent six successful seasons.
Bruno Fernandes, who spoke to his Portugal teammate about returning to United, tweeted: “‘Agent Bruno’?” before adding a cartoon of what appeared to be Fernandes as a youngster watching Ronaldo alongside the caption “Never stop dreaming…”.
United’s summer signing Jadon Sancho and fellow England internationals Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard were among a host of current United players to tweet about Ronaldo.
Roy Keane, who was United captain when the club first signed Ronaldo, wrote on Instagram: “Welcome back Cristiano”, while Edwin van der Sar posted on his account: “How are you feeling @manchesterunited fans? Always dreamt but never expected that it would happen! Welcome back in Manchester @cristiano”.
While the deal is yet to be finalised, Ronaldo will cost United a reported £21m in transfer fees, with Juventus allowing a cut-price move for the striker due to his age.
He will also go straight to the top of the pay league at Old Trafford, with a weekly wage of £510,000 according to spotrac.com, significantly higher than current highest earner David de Gea.
A gallery of the Manchester United earnings and Ronaldo compares is above, compiled by figures from spotrac.com. To see the next picture and salary, just swipe.
Manchester United salaries 2021
1) Cristiano Ronaldo - £510,000 per week
2) David de Gea - £375,000 per week
3) Jadon Sancho - £350,000 a week
4) Raphael Varane - £340,000 a week
5) Paul Pogba - £290,000 a week
6) Anthony Martial - £250,000 a week
7) Edinson Cavani - £210,000 a week
8) Marcus Rashford - £200,000 a week
9) Harry Maguire - £189,904 a week
10) Bruno Fernandes - £180,000 a week
