Defender Diogo Dalot hopes Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Manchester United for “many, many years” and believes the 37-year-old will still be able to play for another few seasons.
Ronaldo said earlier this year that he wishes to play into his 40s. If he does, it may mean football fans see the superstar play at Euro 2024 and stick with United beyond the end of next season.
He’s already helped Portugal qualify for this year’s World Cup, which many are forecasting to be his last finals. Ronaldo finished United ’s top scorer with 24 goals in his homecoming campaign.
READ MORE: Manchester United have the perfect plan for Cristiano Ronaldo next season
Dalot pointed to this when praising his international colleague in an interview with United's official website. “I think the stats can speak for themselves," he said.
"He’s a machine, like I like to call him. Inside of the pitch, outside of the pitch, the way he works, the way he drives himself every single day to perform like this, to give us these goals and these performances.”
He added: “I think it’s a plus for this club and for the fans and, hopefully, we can stay with him for many, many years. I know he is not going to be here forever but I’m sure that he will play football for a few more years yet.”
Dalot predicted that Ronaldo will not only still be playing the game for another few years, but will “easily” be thriving at the top level. “I’m sure that he is going to do everything he can to play until the last strength that he has but it’s going to be up to him. We just need to enjoy him while he’s here,” he added.
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