Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has played down the prospect of the St James' Park club making a move for Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who will have aspirations of helping United secure a fourth straight win in all competitions when they face Newcastle at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, is out-of-contract at the end of the season and speculation about his future is already mounting. The Reds do have the option to extend his stay by a further year but that is highly unlikely to be triggered, such was the 37-year-old's desire to leave during the summer.
Unsurprisingly, numerous clubs have already been linked with the possibility of signing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on a free transfer next summer. Chelsea and Napoli were most heavily linked with signing him in the most recent transfer window and it remains to be seen if they will be interested once again in a little under a year's time.
Newcastle, too, have also been occasionally linked with an ambitious move for Ronaldo in the gossip columns, such is the financial clout they now have available to them. However, manager Howe, who has done a terrific job since taking charge last November, has distanced the Magpies from the possibility of signing the Portugal captain, pointing towards a recruitment policy that will see them target players of a younger age.
"We're trying to provide long-term growth, we've got a longer-term vision," Howe told reporters. "At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we probably need to invest in more young players.
"That's probably a big part of our progression, really. We need to get the average age down, so it might not be a signing that we would necessarily look to make - but not underestimating the quality of the player."
Addressing Ronaldo's undisputed qualities ahead of the Magpies' trip to Old Trafford, Howe added: "His career when you look at the numbers - and it's been highlighted again because he scored his 700th goal just how good his record is, how good his career has been - the quality of the player is unquestionable.
"He's an outstanding player. You look at his goal record last year - that was incredible, so for me, the transfer [his return to United] has worked, it's been a success.
"He got massive goals last year and some really late, important goals in the Champions League, et cetera, so I think he's still an outstanding player and it should never be underestimated what he's done in the game."