'Man Utd will finish third despite Ronaldo signing'

Manchester United will finish third in the Premier League despite re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Gary Neville, who insists that the Red Devils are still some way behind Manchester City and Chelsea.

United pulled off one of the coups of the summer by striking a deal for Ronaldo on Friday, with the Portuguese forward now set to return to Old Trafford after 12 years away.

Ronaldo's move from Juventus will be made official subject to personal terms and a medical, and excitement is now building among the fanbase who hope he can inspire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side to Premier League glory once again - but Neville is expecting them to come up short.

What has been said?

Ronaldo will reunite with ex-Real Madrid team-mate Raphael Varane at Old Trafford and United also signed Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in July, but Neville feels City and Chelsea are currently the strongest sides in English football.

"In years gone by, I might have said this Manchester United side would have won the Premier League by 10 points but it's such a strong Premier League this one," the former Red Devils full-back told Sky Sports.

"I made the prediction on Monday Night Football that it would [finish] Manchester City, Chelsea and [then] Manchester United and I'm not going to change that because I don't think the Ronaldo signing makes them a better team than Chelsea, who were the Champions League winners last season, and Manchester City, who were 20 points clear.

"Absolutely it brings them closer to winning the title. Do I think they will win the title at this point? No I don't, but now I'm more excited about Manchester United challenging for the title than I was maybe five or six days ago.

"Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane will have the mentality to win the title. I'm desperate for them to win the title. Do I think they'll win the title this season? No. I'm just being pragmatic.

"You have to be in for these players if you're Manchester United. Whether that wins you the title or not, I'm unsure. It gives them a far better chance than they had 48 hours ago."

What qualities will Ronaldo bring?

Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 292 appearances across all competitions in his first spell in Manchester between 2003 and 2009, winning three Premier League crowns and the Champions League, but Neville has warned he is now a very different player as he heads towards his late thirties.

The United great does think a signing like Ronaldo was needed, though, and he is confident that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will still score plenty of goals while raising the level of the players around him.

"It's a short-term measure, as is Edinson Cavani," said Neville. "They can't get one of these top strikers; Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku were never going to come to Old Trafford this summer. So I think they needed it because they haven't got a 25-30 goal a season striker.

"Ronaldo gives you a guarantee of goals and he'll make the whole place be electric for the next few months. The standards he should set in that dressing room, the way in which he should influence those younger players, there are some younger players who need some really good standards putting into them.

"He's not the player he was. He was a dynamic, running player 12 years ago. He's now going to be a box player, he's going to make brilliant movements in and around the box to score goals, but there are enough legs in that team around him that will enable him to stand up there and do what he does best in this period of his career.

"He hasn't come for Champions League places. He's come for personal accolades and titles. I hope he can be the difference. Because if he can get 10 percent out of every other player, there's a big chance."

Source: Goal.com