Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed! Legendary former Man Utd CEO David Gill omits CR7 from his three-player list of best transfers at Old Trafford

The former Red Devils official, who served for the club for 16 years between 1997 and 2013, listed the club's three most influential signings during his tenure as chief executive officer. Gill was United's financial director for the first six years and became the CEO in 2003.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand's Vibe with Five podcast, Gill said: "The top three signings, I would say, would be Wayne (Rooney) in terms of what he did for the club. I would say Michael Carrick for what he brought in terms of all that. And the third I would say, well I can have two. There’s a lot. [Nemanja] Vidic and [Patrice] Evra."

He added: "But I think in terms of the importance to the club, one of the most important ones was Edwin. We struggled to replace Peter (Schmeichel) and then we went out and got Edwin and he was great for us."

While Gill did not consider Ronaldo's transfer in his list, it has to be noted that the first time the Portuguese joined the club was a month before he officially took charge as the club's CEO. Ronaldo left United in 2009 to join Real Madrid and then returned to Old Trafford 12 years later in 2021. Midway into the 2022-23 season, after a fallout with manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo mutually terminated his contract and headed to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

The veteran star could be back on the pitch on February 8 when Al-Nassr take on Saudi league leaders Al-Hilal in a friendly match. Al-Nassr are due to return to competitive action on February 14 against Al-Feiha in the AFC Champions League knockout stage.