Cristiano Ronaldo’s love for United still young

Manchester, August 28

As the transfer talk heated up, the prospect of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo in a Manchester City jersey increasingly dismayed greats from the red half of town — particularly Rio Ferdinand.

How could the player he won three Premier League titles and the Champions League with at Manchester United contemplate returning to the Premier League with their greatest rival? “I rang him straight away,” Ferdinand said. “What’s going on? Tell me you’re lying.”

By that point Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, had already told Juventus on Thursday the five-time world player of the year wanted out of the final season of his contract. His destination, publicly at least, and not disputed by City, looked like being the blue half of Manchester.

Signing one of the greatest players of all time — especially a United legend — would have been the perfect way for City to end a difficult week. Its long-running pursuit of Harry Kane had spectacularly collapsed when it realised Tottenham wouldn’t sell the striker who was the Premier League’s top scorer last season for even £100 million.

The back pages of Friday’s newspapers teased the sensational possibility of the 36-year-old Ronaldo filling the void up front for Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions. A deal was far away, though. But Ronaldo soon won’t be physically far away from City after United acted swiftly to pull off the transfer coup. — AP

City thrash hapless 10-man Arsenal

MANCHESTER: Manchester City made light work of thrashing a hapless 10-man Arsenal 5-0 in the Premier League, a result that means the Gunners have lost their opening three league games of a season for the first time since 1954-55. Reuters