Gary Neville sends message to Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of next transfer move

Gary Neville admits that he would love to see former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo stay put in the Premier League as the superstar considers his next move.

Ronaldo, 37, remains without a club after leaving Old Trafford for the second time last month. United and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner parted ways following an interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticised United figures past and present with, ultimately, no way back for the Portugal captain.

His former teammate Neville found himself in the crosshairs, too, while the footballer-turned-pundit has since had his say on Ronaldo via several media outlets. Neville was pressed on that matter, once again, during his appearance on the latest Sky Sports World Cup podcast.

Neville said: "I don't think there's any doubt Cristiano needs, wants and has to play. Otherwise, he's not going to be happy and he's not going to accept it, the club that take him will know that's the case.

"Unless there's a change of heart or approach where the club and the player decide to have an honest conversation. But we've seen at the last two teams he's played in, United and Portugal, that that's not gone down particularly well for either party."

He added: "I think that pressure of having him on the bench, and how the media is so big, he's so big with the fans, he's one of the great players to have ever played the game, and so seeing him on the bench is almost like a magnet for trouble for the club he's playing for.

"The focus becomes the player who's not on the pitch, rather than the players who are there playing. At that point, you need to make sure it doesn't become a distraction.

"I hope he finds happiness and a club that will get him into the team and getting him scoring. He'll score 20 goals in 30 matches wherever he plays, maybe 20 goals in 20 matches, knowing him.

"I'd love him to stay in the Premier League, at a club that can have him up front and we can watch him, every week, because that's what we want to see. We want to see him playing."