MANCHESTER, August 8, 2008 (AFP) - Sir Alex Ferguson claims that Manchester United have delivered a crushing blow to Real Madrid by winning the tug-of-war over Cristiano Ronaldo.

The United manager has come out on top in his two-month battle to keep Ronaldo, who returned to the club's training ground on Friday following his admission earlier in the week that he will still be a United player next season.

Spanish champions Real had been desperate to lure Ronaldo to the Bernabeu Stadium and were willing to pay a world record transfer fee of 75 million pounds (95 million euros) to prise the Portugal winger from United.

But Ferguson, preparing for Sunday's Community Shield clash against Portsmouth at Wembley, insists the club can now keep Ronaldo in the Premier League for the best years of his career.

'We're happy. Cristiano's interview (in Portuguse newspaper Publico) was very good and he explained himself perfectly from my perspective,' Ferguson said.

'As I said on Wednesday, the matter is closed and he is a Manchester United player. He is happy to be a Manchester United player and he has always been happy here.

'It's just unfortunate participation of Real Madrid in the player's life that has made it difficult for him.

'But the important thing is that we have ended all the stuff about Real Madrid. Real know they are dealing with a different animal now.

'As Cristiano gets older, he will appreciate being here more. That happens with players the longer they stay here and they don't want to leave.

'If you look at Rio Ferdinand, he joined us as a young man from Leeds, but he has now become a real Manchester United person who loves the club.

'He also comes from another country -- he comes from London! But it's true, because he comes from a different world and there's not much difference between people leaving London and people leaving Portugal to come to Manchester.

'They come north, to a colder, wetter climate. But they come to a real football city, which not many cities can say.'

Ronaldo is currently contracted to United until 2012, but Ferguson admits that the club will endeavour to make to attempts to extend his stay at Old Trafford.

He said: 'Cristiano will now settle down and enjoy his career here. He has four years left on his contract and hopefully, at some point, we would like to extend it. That's where we are.

'I can't deny it was an important issue to keep him here. There are very few players who have left me against my will and it is unusual for anybody to want to leave United.

'I think Cristiano realises that. We had a good meeting in Portugal that clarified a lot of things. It was good and I was pleased with it and that's why I felt everything was going to be all right.'

United have been boosted with Wayne Rooney returning to training on Friday following a virus and, although the England forward will miss the Community Shield, Ferguson is ready to throw Michael Carrick, Gary Neville and Nani into action at Wembley.

He said: 'The Community Shield is always a game we have never used as a do-or-die thing. We have used it mainly for fitness and sometimes in the past, we have played players who were never nearly fit -- we just had to get them minutes on the clock.

'On this occasion, it's more or the less the same and I'll play Carrick and Neville and Nani because I want to get minutes on the clock for them.'