Former Manchester United forward and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal teammate Nani is hopeful that the five-time Ballon D’or stays at the club for the upcoming season. Ronaldo has asked the club to grant him leave as he has higher ambitions of competing in the UEFA Champions League.

However, Manchester United has said that Ronaldo is not for sale and they want to keep the talisman for the next season. Furthermore, Erik Ten Hag has also hinted that he is looking forward to working with the Portuguese striker.

However, Ronaldo didn’t join the team for their preseason in Thailand and Australia and he is currently on vacation with his family.

“I hope so,” the 35-year-old Nani replied when asked if he wants his former teammate to stay while talking to the Mirror.

“He’s an important player and a player who always makes a difference. I hope he’s in a good mood to help the club, so hopefully he’ll stay,” he added.

Nani, who played with Ronaldo during his first stint with the club, added that Ronaldo didn’t talk to him regarding his future when he tried to call him.

“No, when he’s on vacation he doesn’t answer the phone to anybody” Nani told The Mirror (via Express) when asked if he had spoken to the 37-year-old about his future. “I tried to talk to him, but he said ‘I’m so busy now, we’ll talk soon,’” Nani added.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was the star performer for the Red Devils in the previous season of the Premier League. Ronaldo scored a total of 24 goals in a total of 38 matches across competitions for Manchester United. 18 of those goals came in the Premier League as Ronaldo was the lone warrior for the club in a mundane season.

In fact, Ronaldo helped the club in winning some matches single-handedly. Manchester United finished at sixth place with only 58 points, which is their worst ever points tally.

On the other hand, Manchester United registered two wins against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory by 4-0 and 4-1 respectively in their ongoing preseason.