Man United gain over a MILLION Instagram followers in two hours after signing Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo's shock return to Manchester United has seen the club get a huge boost on social media.

At the start of the day it looked the legendary player would join rivals Manchester City, before the news that Pep Guardiola's side had pulled out and United had agreed a deal to sign the 36-year-old.

The £19.4m deal has excited fans of the Red Devils, with Ronaldo returning home to the club he left for a record-breaking career at Real Madrid back in 2009.

United's announcement has picked up a lot of attention and seen the club pick up a huge amount of followers on Instagram.

Before the announcement was made the club had 43.1 million followers on the social media side and a little over two hours later that number had risen up to 44.3m.

Ronaldo is one of the biggest names in football and the most-well known players in the history of the sport.

By signing the world superstar is expected that United will get a commercial boost as well as an improvement on the field.

Ronaldo's agent had been in talks with United's bitter rivals City after the Portugal star decided to leave Juventus, but it emerged on Friday afternoon that Pep Guardiola's side were set to pull out of the race to sign him.

The 36-year-old will now join United subect to a visa, a medal and agreeing personal terms,

United paid the fee Juve wanted from City which equates to £19.4m, with a two-year contract on the table for Ronaldo of around £480,000 per week.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after United's 5-1 victory over Leeds, said it would have been a boost to sign anyone else this summer after already signing Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Tom Heaton.

Ronaldo's arrival will provide a big boost as United look to win their first Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.