Jose Mourinho on Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United: 'Mission Impossible'

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has ruled out any chance of the club re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, dubbing the pursuit "mission impossible."

Speaking to the press after the Red Devils beat L.A. Galaxy 5-2 in a pre-season friendly on Saturday evening, Mourinho said:

"We have never thought about it because he is such an important player for his club, of great economic power. We have not been able to find a reason that could have made us think that Ronaldo could leave.

"I am not a defender in my club once you waste time on players who are mission impossible."

It's long been a pipe dream for United fans to see Ronaldo one day return to the club at which he truly announced himself to the world as a superstar. He spent six years at Old Trafford following a 2003 switch from Sporting CP.

At 32 years of age, however, it's debatable how long Ronaldo would remain at his current top level, not to mention how costly he'd be.

United blogger Neil Bernstein recently used Wayne Rooney's free transfer back to former club Everton as a juxtaposition for the godly status Ronaldo still retains at Old Trafford despite leaving for Spain in 2009:

Murmurs of a potential move back to England arose after Ronaldo was reportedly angered by Real's failure to properly defend him amid new allegations of tax evasion, per Jason Burt and Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph.

But Los Blancos president Florentino Perez said this following those reports:

"He is a Real Madrid player and will continue to be. I haven't talked to Cristiano, but what I do know is that you're not always treated well in this country.

"When Cristiano is back from the Confederations Cup, we will deal with the matter. All I know is that he is very angry.

"We were on the deadline for [presidential] nominations, and I wanted to be respectful, but I am convinced we will talk and we will solve it. Cristiano has a contract, and he is a Real Madrid player."

Real defender Marcelo also recently commented on the prospect of losing Ronaldo to another club after winning a third UEFA Champions League title in four years, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

One has to admire Mourinho for his honesty, as not all fans will be happy to hear the re-signing of their prodigal son is now seen as "mission impossible."

While that admission may lead some to believe United's transfer prospects are no longer what they once were, others will look at the recent £75 million acquisition of Everton striker Romelu Lukaku as proof of bigger things to come.