Gary Lineker reveals that Cristiano Ronaldo's Man Utd return took place in his garden

Former England and Tottenham Hotspur striker, Gary Lineker has revealed that the discussions taken by Manchester United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward over the decision to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford took place in his garden.

Lineker is neighbours and close friends with Woodward who was involved in the negotiations with Juventus over the Ronaldo transfer and that the final stages of negotiations took place in Lineker's garden, where Woodward was locked in a phone call with Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes.

"I'll put my cards on the table - Ed Woodward is a good friend of mine and lives next door. He signed Cristiano Ronaldo when he was in my garden! When he walked in he was on the phone to Jorge Mendes - I hope I'm not giving too much away!," Lineker said on Match of the Day Top 10 podcast.

The Red Devils finally got their man on transfer deadline day and the move has paid off so far as Ronaldo has been in brilliant form since his return, scoring five goals in six games in all competitions so far.

United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his part though has come under criticism following his sides recent poor run of the form, though the Red Devils are placed fourth in the Premier League table and can move up the table if they produce consistent results.