The 23-year-old has been heavily pursued by the Spanish giants but at a press conference in South Africa to mark the start of United's pre-season trip, Ferguson confirmed Ronaldo is going nowhere.

Ferguson said: "The meeting went well - I think we both put across our points of view - where we stand and where the player stands.

"I can say he'll be a Manchester United player next season. That's our stance - he won't be sold."

Asked why he had not commented on the matter until now, Ferguson replied: "It's not a difficult position. I was on my holiday and I was not going to interrupt my holiday, believe me.

"I wasn't panicked because the player is under contract so the strength and the rights are with Manchester United.

"What we have done well is to say nothing. We've kept quiet on this matter and kept it private and what I said to Cristiano remains private. I did go and see him last week in Portugal and it was very amicable - there were no problems. That's where we are and we carry on."