"Wouldn’t surprise me" - Gary Neville makes bold prediction on Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement plans and Manchester United future 

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has stated that he would not be surprised if Cristiano Ronaldo does not retire at Old Trafford. Neville believes the Portugal international could carry on playing beyond his 30s and could join another club to fulfill his ambition.

The 37-year-old scored a stunning hat-trick to lead Manchester United to a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. After the match, Ronaldo met up with legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who on Sunday, reversed his decision to retire at the age of 44.

Discussing Ronaldo’s future, Neville claimed that his former Manchester United teammate was capable enough to keep playing until he was 40. On Monday Night Football (via Mirror), Neville said:

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he carried on playing until he was 40. [We] saw Tom Brady come out of retirement yesterday. One of the great things about these players is longevity, it is so important to them, the idea that they can go on longer and further and still play at the highest level.”

Neville also claimed that the Protuguese ace might not hang up his boots in Manchester, stating that there could be “another story” beyond United.

He added:

“You look at the clubs he’s player for, the leagues he’s played in, they way he’s demonstrated his skill all over the world so it wouldn’t surprise me if there was another story beyond Manchester.”

Following a three-year spell at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United at the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

Even at 37, he has looked sharp in front of goal, emerging as the Red Devils’ leading scorer with 18 goals across competitions.

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Cristiano Ronaldo could be Manchester United’s key player against Atletico Madrid

Ralf Rangnick’s Red Devils are set to welcome Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid to Old Trafford for their Champions League Round of 16 second-leg clash on Tuesday night.

With the tie evenly poised at 1-1, the hosts will need to put their best foot forward to secure a win. And as always, they are likely to look up to their five-time Ballon d’Or-winning forward for inspiration.

Coming into the match on the back of a breathtaking hat-trick against Spurs, the Man United No.7 will be full of confidence.

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He has an excellent track record against Atletico Madrid and will fancy himself adding a goal or two to his tally on Tuesday night.

The former Real Madrid man has scored 25 goals against Los Rojiblancos in his career, with seven of them coming in the Champions League alone.

Out of his seven goals, six have come from two knock-out round hat-tricks (semi-finals in 2016-17, Round of 16 in 2018-19). An eventful night of football awaits at Old Trafford.