Fergie counting on Ronaldo for long haul

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MANCHESTER, Aug 8 (AFP): Sir Alex Ferguson said Friday he was confident Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo will remain with Manchester United for longer than a single season.

Real Madrid had been looking to sign the 23-year-old winger all summer but Ronaldo confirmed this week he would remain at Old Trafford for at least another year despite his love of boyhood heroes Real.

And Ferguson thinks he could keep Ronaldo for longer.

"As he gets older I think he will appreciate being here more and more," said Ferguson.

"The longer people stay at this club you tend to not want to leave.

"Rio Ferdinand is an obvious example of that. But really I'm just pleased we have managed to put all this Real Madrid stuff to bed. They know what they are dealing with now."

Meanwhile, Ferguson dismissed calls for a foreign player quota to be imposed in the Premier League.