Manchester United Transfer News: Fans Should Not Expect Cristiano Ronaldo Return

Rumors have been swirling (via CaughtOffside and various other sources) about Cristiano Ronaldo potentially returning to Manchester United. That no longer seems like a possibility. 

The speculation suggesting he would leave Real Madrid first started in September, when he stated that he was unhappy in his current situation. Since then, the talented scorer has been the subject of numerous rumors, which have linked him with various clubs around the world.

Most recently, Neil Custis of The Sun has reported that Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are in a race to acquire Ronaldo:

"

Mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain are ready with a package worth £130million to tempt him to France. But Ronaldo has made his advisors aware he would sacrifice the huge pay-day to move back to Old Trafford for HALF the amount.

Alex Ferguson...has met him a couple of times this season and has made no secret about how impressed he is.

"

Unfortunately, Sir Alex Ferguson does not believe that his former star is going anywhere. According to Simon Mullock of the Daily Mirror, the boss responded to the rumors by saying: 

"

There hasn’t been anything to encourage me to think Cristiano would come back here.

As far as I am aware, there is ­nothing in it at all. Ronaldo has got two years left on his contract and it seems to me it is all part of the ­negotiations that are going on about a new deal. I think it is false hope.

"

Few people know Ronaldo better than Ferguson, and it is smart to take him at his word.

Still, many fans would like to see more aggressive recruitment of one of the best two players in the world.

Obviously, scoring is not a problem for United. Led by Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, the club tops the English Premier League and has scored at least 12 more goals than anyone else in the league. However, adding an elite player like Ronaldo would make the squad even more dangerous in the EPL and Champions League.

It will not take long for Manchester United to see what they will be missing. Real Madrid comes to Old Trafford on Tuesday for the second leg of the Champions League. The two sides tied the first leg 1-1.

If Ronaldo impresses and is able to knock out the English club, Ferguson should pull out all the stops to acquire the talented player in the summer.

Although the price tag should be high for the 28-year-old player, he still has plenty of great years ahead of him. He has been a finalist for the Ballon d'Or in each of the past two years after winning in 2008. There is no question he will be a factor to help the team win matches for a long time.

Fans should not get their hopes up about a return. After all, he will in all likelihood stay in Spain after signing a large extension. However, fans still have a right to be disappointed.

Hopefully, the new generation of stars will be able to do enough to make people forget about those no longer around.

Follow @TheRobGoldberg