Gary Neville has cautioned Manchester United not to sign Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, instead urging his former club to move for team-mate Gareth Bale.
United manager Louis van Gaal is reportedly interested in bringing one of the Real attackers to Old Trafford next off-season.
Ronaldo left the Premier League for Spain in 2009 for a then-world record £80million fee before Bale smashed that figure four years later.
Retired defender Neville is hesitant for United to make a move for Ronaldo and doubts whether the Portuguese forward's return would be a success.
"I am not sure it is such a good thing for Cristiano to come back," Neville told The Mirror.
"I’d prefer us to get Gareth Bale and that’s no disrespect to Cristiano who I think is possibly the biggest talent I have ever played with - not the best player I ever played with - but the biggest talent.
"He is an amazing player and what he did for two years at United was out of this world and it was a privilege to be part of it.
"But the idea of coming back as his swansong – it won’t be the same for him as it was before."
He added: "He does like warm weather. He likes the sun and we know that from when he was here. That’s not a criticism of him, he was just used to that.
"It will not be the same for him as it was before but it won’t be the same for us and I am not sure.
"It would be about emotion. And I am not sure emotion and sport go together really in that way."
