Newly appointed Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane has revealed that star striker Cristiano Ronaldo is not open to a transfer away from the club anytime soon. Speculation about Ronaldo’s future has been brought up a few times recently, especially after his reported fallout with former manager Rafael Benitez. However, Zidane has dismissed all the suggestions and referred to Ronaldo as the "soul" of the team and "more than unsaleable".
Ronaldo has been a key performer for Real this season having scored 14 goals and registered five assists in his 18 La Liga appearances so far. But a recent incident with the fans, in which Ronaldo was jeered after missing a penalty, had brought a lot of insecurity to the Portuguese international’s future with the Spanish giants.
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Talking ahead of his first game in charge as manager of Real against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, Zidane responded to the rumours linking Ronaldo to his former club Manchester United and PSG, “"He is more than unsaleable, he is the soul of this team and symbol of Madridismo. He isn't going anywhere. It makes me laugh because while I'm here he's going nowhere,” Zidane said.
“Cristiano will play along the wing and he'll play whatever happens. I'm going to give few instructions to Cristiano, his record talks for itself. The only thing I want is that he feels happy, at ease,” he added.
Zidane happy with the team’s performance in training
Zidane was appointed as the manager at Real earlier this week following Benitez’s sacking.The former Real Madrid player shares a good relationship with the players after working as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti during the 2013-14 season. Zidane was appointed as the manager of Real Madrid Castilla in the summer and has now been promoted as the club’s first team coach.
"It's difficult to know which player has impressed me the most. We have tremendous quality, I can't single out just one player. It's a pleasure for me to see them play,” an excited Zidane said after training. "I'm convinced that everything will go well," he said. "Nothing is worrying me at the moment. I'll sleep very well tonight because training was spectacular.”
"I want the full support of the fans and I want to bring them joy. I want the Bernabeu fans to enjoy their team,” he added.
Ten years after his last official appearance on the pitch of the Santiago-Bernabeu Stadium, former playmaker Zidane will face his first challenge when Real take on seventh placed Deportivo La Coruna today. Real are currently third in the league, four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
