Patrice Evra says Alex Ferguson was "99 percent" sure of re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo and staying on as manager of Manchester United just weeks before he announced his retirement in 2013.

Ronaldo was in the final season of Jose Mourinho's tenure with Real Madrid at the time.

"I remember we talked maybe two weeks before and he said, 'Patrice, I will be here another five years'," he said.

"I said, 'Yes boss. Let's do it.' I was so convinced. He was looking younger and younger, amazing. He even told me '99 percent, Cristiano Ronaldo will come'. I was like, 'wow, we are ready to bounce back and to even win the Champions League again.

"After that everyone knows what happened. You know when you are lost and you feel like the world is crumbling? It was a big trauma, I felt lost."