Sir Alex Ferguson today insisted Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Manchester United next season.

The United manager revealed he met the 23-year-old in Lisbon on Monday for showdown talks.

Ronaldo infuriated Ferguson by insisting he wanted to play for Real Madrid but the Scot said: "He'll be a Manchester United player next season. That's our stance - he won't be sold. The meeting went well - I think we both put across our points of view.

"It was very amicable and there were no problems, so therefore we carry on but what I said to Cristiano will remain private."

Ferguson confirmed Ronaldo will be out for three months with an ankle injury, but insisted he was right not to cut short his break to resolve the transfer saga earlier.

He said: "I was on my holiday and I was not going to interrupt it - believe me - for the simple reason that the boy is under contract."