Ferguson persuades Ronaldo to stay

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson (picture) said yesterday that Cristiano Ronaldo would not be leaving the Premier League champions. "I can say that he (Ronaldo) will be a Manchester United player next year, we won't be selling him," Ferguson told reporters at a news conference in Cape Town. The 23-year-old Portugal winger, who has been linked with a controversial move to Real Madrid, is currently recuperating from surgery earlier this month on his injured right ankle. European champions United are in South Africa to play a three-match exhibition series against Johannesburg-based clubs Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates over the next seven days.