Ronaldo remains a Red

Cristiano Ronaldo is going nowhere.

After a summer rife with rumours of an Old Trafford exit, the Reds’ no.7 revealed on Wednesday night that he will be a Manchester United player in 2008/09.

“I can confirm that next season I will play for Manchester United,” Ronaldo told Portugal newspaper Publico.

“I will play for United with all my heart and soul, I will fight and honour that shirt with the same commitment and dedication as [I’ve] always [shown].”

His comments were welcomed by Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who was relieved the matter can finally be “put to bed”.

“We always knew this was the case,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “He’s very happy here – he’s always been happy here.

“He’s never had a complaint about Manchester United. He’s always been treated properly and I have a great relationship with the boy, as do all the players.

“I think we can put this to bed now. It’s finished. The boy’s a United player and that’s what’s important.”

Ronaldo’s refusal to commit himself to United earlier in the summer disappointed some Reds fans, but Ferguson insists supporters shouldn’t be too hard on the 23-year-old.

“The fans have got to understand it’s very hard when a young boy’s tempted by all this money,” he said.

“He’s a young lad from Madeira and his father died a young man. Cristiano now looks after his mother, sister and his brother, so I can understand that [money may have been tempting].”

In a sign of real maturity, Ronaldo accepted blame for his part in world football’s biggest transfer saga of the summer.

“I was responsible for all this controversy,” he said. “I was the one who publicly expressed my desire to go to Madrid and I ended up even being involuntary responsible for the poor relationship between the two clubs.”