Al-Nassr and Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo has been tipped to make a shocking return to Old Trafford by his former Manchester United teammate Louis Saha.
Ronaldo marked the start of yet another season in professional football with a goal in Al-Nassr's first competitive game of the season against Al-Taawoun.
The 39-year-old was the Saudi Pro League's top scorer last season with 35 goals and will be looking to put up similar numbers this year with Al-Nassr getting their domestic season underway on Thursday.
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Ronaldo will turn 40 in February 2025, so it's fair to assume retirement might finally be around the corner for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, and Louis Saha has predicted he will embark on a rather shocking career path.
"Cristiano Ronaldo has the passion and dedication to return to Manchester United one day. That could be as a coach or even a manager," Saha told TVSporten.
"His second spell didn’t end how everyone had hoped, and you can see why that frustrated him. He didn’t see the same formula and didn’t see the passion from young players that he had been used to seeing.
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"Now he will know that he needs to find a new way to communicate when he becomes a coach which maybe isn’t as harsh or direct as it was when he was at the club," the former Everton and Spurs forward added.
Saha played with Ronaldo during his first spell at United from 2004-2008 and believes the characteristics he showed could be translated to make a great manager.
"He will work out how to be successful and use all his knowledge to do that; we’ve seen Roy Keane go into management and have success. Cristiano will understand what he needs to do as a manager. I see no reason why he wouldn’t be a success," he continued.
The connection Ronaldo has with Man United is undeniable, and his decision to choose a romantic Old Trafford return over guaranteed success with Man City demonstrated exactly that.
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However, with Erik ten Hag recently signing a new deal at the club, it is highly unlikely Ronaldo would be involved in any capacity with the Dutchman still at the helm, given the manner he left the club in 2022.
Ronaldo himself has never ruled out management but has stressed it is not something he sees himself doing at this stage.
With his current contract ending at the end of the 24/25 season, there will be significant decisions made in the coming months on Ronaldo's future as an Al-Nassr player and an active professional.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Louis Saha, Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr
Tom Jenkins