Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed he is not interested in joining Real Madrid and wants to extend his stay at Manchester United.

The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with moves to both Real and Barcelona in recent weeks but Barca claimed yesterday they have made no approach, and Real's hopes of signing him now appear to have been dashed.

The Portuguese winger said: "I consider myself a United footballer who is playing well and trying to help the team.  If things keep going well, I want to stay here. I'm not a Galactico.

"I'm only thinking about United and I want to stay here for more than two more years.  I want to leave my mark on this era, win titles and be a figure in the history of this club."

Ronaldo is on track to surpass Ronaldinho as the best player in the world, according to United's skills development coach Rene Meulensteen.

The Dutch coaching expert claims Ronaldo's courage to try new things on the pitch and willingness to learn will see the winger overtake the Brazilian.

Meulensteen, who has worked with Ronaldo from when he first joined United, said in his column on www.manutd.com: "He's got the same attributes as Ronaldinho, a complete range of skills, and he's heading very swiftly to becoming the best player in the world.

"I asked him what his aim was and he said he wanted to win plenty of prizes with the team, and be the best player in the world. That's good. If you're going to have a dream, it had better be a big one!

"I asked him where he was on a scale of 1-10 towards reaching that goal and he wasn't sure. I told him he was at an 8. If he can add little bits to his game then 9 and 10 will come very quickly.

"But, what I think will eventually make him the best in the world is that he's got the courage to try new things on the pitch. It might not come off at first, but it will sooner or later."

Meulensteen, who rejoined United this season after a short spell as coach of Danish side Brondby, believes only this season has Ronaldo really been able to make an impact with his tricks.

He added: "At the end of Cristiano's first season with United, I said he was the most talented, technically-gifted player at United in terms of tricks. All he needed was to become effective with his skills, and that's the transition he's made this season.

"Top attacking players at the highest level possess an element of unpredictability. That's what I've talked to Cristiano about. If he gets the ball and always starts to run with it then the defender gets wise to it. It's the same if he always passes it.

"He's made tremendous strides forward. He knows now that every time he steps on a pitch he's going to make an impact. Because of what he's created already, defenders stand off him. That means he's already created the time and space to run."

Meulensteen also believes Ronaldo's mental attitude will help him achieve his ambitions.

He said: "It's his attitude that I like about him. He has got the mentality that he can always add to his game. He never gets complacent. He's a quick boy, a very intelligent learner. He's always trying new things.

"He's also learning the power of standing still, which is very under-rated. At the top level, defenders don't dive in. If they do, then one pass and you're gone. It's very functional, because you're standing still and then it's explosive when you move."