Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United?

When he arrived at Old Trafford in 2003 he was the awkward looking boy with a strange lone blonde lock in his hair.

After a stunning cameo debut against Bolton Wanderers it was his feet the world was talking about.

An array of stepovers, pace and trickery, he instantly lit up the Premier League.

It was in 2006-07 that he really blossomed, adding end product to his game, leading United to the Premier League title.

Two years later - and two more league titles and a Champions League medal- he was off to Spain.

At Real Madrid he has stepped up a gear, scoring at a rate which eclipsed even his Brazilian namesake during his spell at the Bernabeu.

Stories emanating from Spain this weekend are indicating that he is willing to call it quits - and is seeking a return to England.

Despite his personal achievements, he has failed to usurp Lionel Messi as the world's best player, and seems frustrated with his side's inability to beat Barcelona- even once.

Could he return to Old Trafford? That remains to be seen.

Real Madrid spent a world record £80 million on his transfer, and since then his performance levels have not dipped, if anything they have improved.

Even in a depressed market, he would still fetch an absolute minimum of £60 million, but Madrid would likely ask for more like £100 million.

Quite simply United have not got the money.

As much as there is a Thierry Henry-like romance about the thought of Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford like the Frenchman has at Arsenal, it seems financially unviable.

United's record transfer fee is the £30.75 million they spent on Dimitar Berbatov, and with the Glazers in charge we can't ever see them making bids for any player costing over £40 million.

Supporters fear that even the luxury fees in the £30 million region spent on Rooney, Berbatov, and Rio Ferdinand are a thing of the past.

Even if Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford this summer- highly unlikely- Sir Alex is showing no sign of slowing down- it is unlikely Madrid would allow their star player to go too, and United's financial problems would not change.

If Ronaldo does return to Old Trafford- it won't be in a United shirt for now. Perhaps he will come back in a few years, when he will not cost as much.

Or perhaps he will be there next season in a Manchester City shirt?

image: © Paolo Camera

Dan Coombs

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Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.

As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.

He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.