“I was the first one to tell him he should go to England” - Nani insists there was ‘no better place’ than Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United star Nani has revealed that he was the first person to advise Cristiano Ronaldo to return to England. The Portuguese forward also insisted there was no better place than Old Trafford for the 36-year-old to move to in the summer.

Manchester United re-signed Ronaldo from Juventus in what was one of the biggest transfers of the summer. The Portugal international left the Red Devils for Real Madrid in 2009 but made a sensational return at the start of the 2021/22 season.

Having put an end to his three-year stint with Juventus, Ronaldo is hopeful of enjoying another fruitful spell at Old Trafford. He helped Manchester United win nine trophies, including three Premier League titles, during his first spell at the club.

Reflecting on Ronaldo's comeback to Manchester United, former Red Devils star Nani has revealed that he was the first person to advise him to return to England.

"I was the first one to tell him he should go to England and if he decides to go to England, if he can choose Man United it would be the best thing for him," he told The Athletic. "That was funny because a couple of months later when I went to Orlando I saw the news and I texted him because I was seeing Man City and Man United and Tottenham were fighting for him and I said, 'If you have to go, you choose Man United! It's the best!'"

Nani also said that he wasn't surprised by the news of Ronaldo joining Manchester United since that was the best place for him.

"Obviously, when you see the news and the situation of him at Juventus you could imagine that there was no better place for him to go than to go back," he said. "I knew the news would be true so it wasn't that much of a surprise to me."

Ronaldo and Nani have played 129 matches together for Manchester United and Portugal.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has had mixed start to his second stint with Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo's return was a story that excited Manchester United fans over the summer. However, the Portugal captain's return to Old Trafford has not been as smooth as he would have wanted it to be.

Manchester United currently sit sixth in the Premier League, nine points behind table-toppers Chelsea. Red Devils boss Solskjaer is also under immense pressure following disappointing defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City.

Ronaldo, though, has scored nine goals and provided one assist in 12 games so far.