Ronaldo saga destabilising Real, says van Nistelrooy

Real Madrid's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy believes that the constant speculation over the future of Cristiano Ronaldo has had an unsettling effect on the team.

Whether Ronaldo will follow Van Nistelrooy's path from Manchester United to the Bernabeu has been an ongoing debate this summer.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is determined to hold on to the Portuguese star, while Real coach Bernd Schuster admitted Saturday that the club have not given up hope of luring Ronaldo.

“It got a bit too far maybe, it is such an issue at the moment in Spain. It gets a bit over the top,” Van Nistelrooy told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

“A couple of our players, they made the comment that there was only talk about him and not about the current team and stars, and everybody's waiting for the next rumour without anything concrete.”

Asked whether he expected Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford for the forthcoming campaign, the Dutchman added: “I think so, if you hear the statements from United. It doesn't really sound like they'll let him go.”