Dimitar Berbatov hopes Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at Manchester United but would understand if he was to leave the club this summer.
The Portuguese legend has been one of the few bright sparks for the club this campaign. His 23 goals have helped bail United out of a number of difficult positions and he rescued United once again on Thursday night.
Marcos Alonso had given Chelsea the lead in a match they had dominated at Old Trafford. However, United soon restored parity when Ronaldo lashed home in front of the Stretford End.
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According to his former United teammate Berbatov, he would understand if Ronaldo was to leave due to the likely lack of Champions League football next season. He told Betfair : "Ronaldo is doing incredibly well for his age with the way he plays and the goals he scores.
"To have so many Premier League goals in a season at his age is an incredible achievement. He is doing what he needs to do and that is score goals. His game is different now than it was before, but one thing is a constant, the goals. He still produces and scores which is so important.
"He has one more year at United, which is a good thing in my opinion, and now it is down to him whether he stays or leaves. I'd be glad to see him stay and, of course, things depend on the new manager and on what Ronaldo wants.
"He is an icon in football and when you are like that your opinion matters. I'd be happy to see him stay and continue scoring as well as helping the players around him. If he decides to go, obviously you cannot blame him. When you are used to playing Champions League football every year of your career and then you don't have it, it's tough to accept.
"His performances this season show how well he is taking care of himself. He will want to play as long as he can and show that the impossible is possible. He has proven that he can still do it at 37 in the Premier League, he likes to prove people wrong and I'm pretty sure that he will want to continue doing that and play a few more years. When he stops it will be a sad day for football because he's one of the true greats.
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