Fergie won't be retiring for some while yet, insists Manchester United chief Gill

Although Ferguson insists he will walk away before his 70th birthday in December 2011, the Scot has already gone back on one decision to stand down seven years ago.

Asked about Ferguson’s latest retirement plan in the wake of completing a Premier League and Champions League double, Gill said: "He hasn’t said to me that he has a timeline. We haven’t discussed that.

"There have been some comments about being 70, but Alex’s guiding principle on whether he stays has always been about whether he is healthy and has the desire — I’m sure he will have that.

"It’s still three-and-a-half years away, we will look at it at that time."

Gill believes Queiroz, who returned as Ferguson’s assistant in 2004 after a year in charge at Real Madrid, would be an ideal candidate to succeed him when the United boss finally calls it a day.

Gill added: ‘We have an assistant manager who will be very much in the frame in Carlos Queiroz.

"Carlos is a key factor in all the success we’ve achieved over the last couple of seasons."

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has hit back at accusations from Sir Alex Ferguson that the Spanish club are employing underhand tactics to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu.

Ferguson claimed Madrid are using the media to mount a sustained bid to unsettle the Portugal star, and reports in Spain yesterday suggested Real are willing to offer Ronaldo a massive £220,000-a-week deal to leave Old Trafford.

But Calderon pleaded his innocence, saying: "I don’t understand Ferguson. Real Madrid have conducted themselves exquisitely in this whole affair with Cristiano Ronaldo.

"We have always said that he is a player who has a contract and that Manchester United is a club that does not sell. That’s everything."

Ronaldo once again refused to commit himself to United after arriving for international duty with Portugal.

"I am calm," he said. "Everything’s clear and I will repeat it once again so that the whole world understands: there will be news in two or three weeks."

He's got the silver: Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon and Raul receive the La Liga trophy in a ceremony outside City Hall in the Spanish capital

Wolves want to sign veteran striker Dwight Yorke, who is expected to leave Sunderland as a free agent this summer.

Yorke, 36, has previously played for Wolves’ West Midlands rivals Aston Villa and Birmingham City.

Molineux boss Mick McCarthy is also lining up a new bid for Burnley striker Kyle Lafferty, having twice failed to sign the young Northern Ireland striker.

Denny Landzaat has been cut from Holland’s squad for Euro 2008 and could be joined on the slidelines by his Wigan teammate Mario Melchiot.

Dutch coach Marco van Basten confirmed the last player dropped before he submits his final 23-man squad will come from a shortlist of three defenders — Melchiot, who missed training last week because of injury, Blackburn’s Andre Ooijer and former Chelsea player Khalid Boulahrouz.

Rangers are chasing Watford’s powerful Nigeria defender Danny Shittu.

Watford coach Malky Mackay, who has played alongside Shittu at the heart of defence and spent five years at Celtic, said: "He is probably ideal for Scottish football. I don’t know whether the club would want to sell him or not but everyone has their price."

A capacity crowd of 60,000 turned out at Parkhead yesterday to pay tribute to former Celtic and Motherwell midfielder Phil O’Donnell.

Two sets of former teammates — Celtic’s 1998 championship side and the bulk of the Motherwell team that won the 1991 Scottish Cup — played in the charity match.

O’Donnell’s nephews David Clarkson and Stephen O’Donnell played for Motherwell, and Henrik Larsson broke off from Sweden’s Euro 2008 preparations to turn out for Celtic.