Patrice Evra says Sir Alex Ferguson was certain Cristiano Ronaldo would return to Manchester United

Evra reveals how Ferguson was sure Ronaldo would return to Old Trafford

Sir Alex Ferguson believed Cristiano Ronaldo would return to Manchester United in the 2013 season, according to former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, as per Mirror. The Frenchman, who currently plays with reigning Serie A champions Juventus, revealed what Ferguson told him two weeks prior to his retirement.

"I remember we talked maybe two weeks before and he said, 'Patrice, I will be here another five years,'" says Evra, in an interview with The Sunday Times.

"I said, 'yes boss, let's do it.' I was so convinced. He was looking younger and younger, amazing. He even told me '99 per cent, Cristiano Ronaldo will come'. I was like, 'wow, we are ready to bounce back and to even win the Champions League again'."

Evra felt lost after Ferguson’s exit

Evra who was one of Ferguson’s most trusted players at the time, bore a lot of responsibility on the pitch as he one the few players who understood what the manager expected of the player who moved to United from Monaco in 2005 won the Manchester club’s last Premier League title that season with the help of Robin van Persie.

The club though was unfortunate in Europe where they were knocked out of the Champions League because of Ronaldo’s Real Madrid. Ferguson though doubled back on his decision to continue at United following the death of his wife’s sister, and with that all hopes of reacquiring Ronaldo from Madrid were gone.

Evra who also moved to away from the club a year later said he felt lost and was clueless following Ferguson’s decision to leave. He said: "After that everyone knows what happened. You know when you are lost and you feel like the world is crumbling? It was a big trauma. I felt lost."

Ronaldo who left the club in 2009 for a record-breaking fee of £80-million was one of the club's most prolific scorer where he won his first Ballon d'Or and equalled Alan Shearer's record of 31 league goals in a season. While at United he won three Premier Leagues titles, three domestic cups and one Champions League trophy.

The Portuguese star who recently broke Raul’s Real Madrid scoring record, helped the club win their tenth Champions League trophy during which time he himself won two more Ballon d’Ors. Some of the other trophies he has won with Real Madrid are two Copa del Reys and one La Liga.