Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 24th goal of the season, 18 of which have come in the Premier League, in Manchester United's 3-0 win over Brentford on Monday.
Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo has bluntly denied suggestions that he told Old Trafford fans 'I'm not finished' after helping Manchester United defeat Brentford 3-0 in their Premier League clash on Monday.
The 37-year-old superstar converted a penalty during United's home game just after the hour mark to double the early lead Bruno Fernandes gave the Red Devils. Raphael Varane then scored his first goal for United to ensure the club earned all three points from their final home game of the league's season.
After the victory, United stars thanked fans at Old Trafford for supporting the Red Devils, who have endured a tough season that saw the sacking of manager Ole Gunnar Solkajaer, a shock exit from the Champions League and a possibility of missing out on a berth in Europe's elite competition next year.
During the lap of honour, Ronaldo turned to the Sky Sports camera accompanying him and appeared to say "I'm not finished" with a grin on his face as he saluted the Old Trafford faithful. In the studio, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher suspected the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was sending a "message" to incoming manager Erik ten Hag, who will take over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick this summer.
Also read: 'Glory for Man United': Emotional Ronaldo sets club's future goal after Brentford win
Several fans backed Carragher's view and believed the Portugal international was confirming that he will stay at United for another season even as rumours are rife that a possible return to former club Real Madrid is on the cards.
However, Ronaldo poured cold water on these suggestions. An Instagram fan page named 'ronaldo7club' posted a photograph of the superstar with the caption, "Cristiano Ronaldo to the Camera right at the end of the match: 'I'm not finished'." In response, the G.O.A.T. simply wrote, "I didn't say that."
The 37-year-old's blunt reply has now led to further speculation over what Ronaldo did in fact say in the wake of the victory over Brentford. Several fans in response to Ronaldo's comment just posted, 'Siuuu', an iconic celebration of the legendary striker.
Ronaldo scored his 24th goal of the season, 18 of which have come in the Premier League, in Monday's game and is two goals shy of the 26 he tallied in his previous season with the Red Devils in 2008-09. The Portuguese star is now only behind Tottenham's Heung Son-min and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in the league's scoring charts.
Earlier, the Portuguese superstar took to Instagram to thank Old Trafford fans and also sent them a strong message about what Manchester United's goal is for the future. "Once again, great support from the stands. Let’s take this opportunity of our last game of the season at Old Trafford to thank our amazing supporters, who endured a difficult season by our side and never abandoned us. Thanks, guys. Your support means the world to us and our goal is to become better everyday, so that we can achieve what we all want: glory for Man. United! 🙏🏽💪🏽," Ronaldo wrote.