Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo and insists the 37-year-old's second stint at Manchester United has been successful - despite ruling out any possibility of the Magpies signing the Portuguese striker.

Ronaldo rejoined United in the summer of 2021, 12 years after leaving for Real Madrid, and scored 24 goals in 38 games last season.

Despite this, his second stint at the club has polarised fans, with many suggesting his presence was detrimental to United's performances as they dropped to sixth in the Premier League table.

Ronaldo attempted to leave Old Trafford in the summer but was unable to convince other clubs to sign him.

One side with the funds to sign Ronaldo would be Newcastle United - however, manager Howe insists the newly wealthy club has no intention of making such a move.

We're trying to provide long-term growth, we've got a longer-term vision, Howe told reporters when asked about the possibility.

At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we need to invest more in young players. That's probably a big part of our progression, we need to get the average age down.

So, it might not be a signing that we would necessarily look to make, but that's not under-estimating the quality of the player.

Howe added: He's an outstanding player. You look at his goal record last year, that was incredible. So, for me, the transfer has worked, it's been a success.

Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey and Toby Cudworth are joined by Tom Gott in the latest episode of Talking Transfers. The team discuss Erling Haaland's Manchester City release clause, Mason Mount's future at Chelsea and their sporting director plans, and what the future could hold for 700-goal Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd. Available on all audio platforms.

If you can't see the podcast embed, click here to download the episode in full!

He got massive goals last year and some really late, important goals in the Champions League. The quality of the player is unquestionable. We are going to have to be very, very good against him if he plays. We're going to have to brief our players on the areas from where he wants to score That's something we have to be aware of.

Newcastle and Manchester United go head to head at Old Trafford on Sunday, with both sides keen to win and stake their claim for European football next season.

This article was originally published on 90min as Eddie Howe praises Cristiano Ronaldo but rules out Newcastle transfer.