Khabib says Cristiano Ronaldo told him about Man Utd one month before transfer

Khabib Nurmagomedov has stated that he was not surprised to see Cristiano Ronaldo rejoin Manchester United – because the Portugal skipper gave him the heads up a month ago.

The former UFC Lightweight Champion, who is embarking on his own career as a forward in the third level of Russian professional football, has a close relationship with the former Real Madrid star.

Ronaldo, 36, who is heading to Manchester after breaking the international scoring record with Portugal on Wednesday, is said to have made his intentions clear back in early August.

Having stated earlier this year that the pair talk on an almost daily basis, Nurmagomedov told the Russian media that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's Premier League return was no shock to him.

"A month ago, he told me that he was moving to Manchester United," Nurmagomedov told reporters at Moscow's New Knowledge Marathon.

"I expected this deal to take place. I think that Manchester United is more suitable for him than Juventus. For me, the transition was not a surprise."

The talks between the pair won't come as a surprise to fans of Nurmagomedov, who spoke openly about their close relationship and frequent conversations earlier this year.

He said: "We talk many times – almost every day – but when we met we had a conversation about where we got our motivation from. He told me that he wants his son to be his successor.

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"When Cristiano was a kid, he could only dream of having a simple pair of boots. But his son has everything. He fears that his son will not feel the same hunger, the same will.

"People are guided by that will; feel the desire to achieve things. When you have everything, it’s hard to find the right motivation.

"When he told me that, I’m not going to say I was surprised, but I enjoyed listening to him. I realised that he’s a person who is not content with one, two or three titles."

Ronaldo told United fans on his return to Old Trafford: “As everybody knows, since I signed for Manchester [United] at 18, Sir Alex Ferguson was the key.

"I remember when we played against Manchester when I was at Sporting Lisbon. For me, Sir Alex Ferguson is like a father in football for me.

"He helped me a lot, he taught me many things, and in my opinion of course he had a big role because the relationship that we had, we keep in touch all the time, and he’s an unbelievable person.

"I really like him a lot and he was the main key for me to be in the position that I am, that I signed for Manchester United.”

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