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Phil Neville jokes Cristiano Ronaldo has to 'thank me a lot' for his role in securing 'dancing' superstar's move to Manchester United, having struggled to defend against him in friendly against Sporting Lisbon in 2003

Phil Neville has jokingly claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo owes him for helping him to secure his move to Manchester United, following the superstar's destructive cameo against his current club in 2003.

Casting his mind back to a clash between United and Sporting Lisbon, then Ronaldo's team, Neville recalled to Sky Sports how the mercurial forward left him beaten on a number of occasions in a successful audition.

His performance was so impressive that Sir Alex Ferguson rushed to sign Ronaldo immediately after the game, and a number of dizzy Red Devils players also urged their manager to tie down the youngster.