Man United legend makes huge Premier League prediction after Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford

• Man United can now compete for the Premier League title after the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo this summer
• The Red Devils secured the services of their former star player about 12 years after leaving them for Real Madrid
• Man City were on the verge of landing the Portuguese when a number of United stakeholders urged him to shun the move and return to Old Trafford

Rio Ferdinand reckons Manchester United are now Premier League title contenders after the arrival of club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 36-year-old will sign a two-year deal on return to Old Trafford after undergoing medicals in a few days.

Though he was destined to join Manchester City after leaving Juventus' training ground on Friday, August 27, a few calls from well-meaning United stakeholders changed his decision.

Ronaldo will be staging a return to the Premier League club this season - about 11 years after leaving them for Real Madrid in 2009.

And the ex-England international believes the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will give the Red Devils a competitive edge.

Ferdinand admits that the EPL race was among Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, but, he is now confident United can compete with the above-named clubs because of Ronaldo.

What Rio Ferdinand said about EPL title chase

The retired football turned football pundit told BT Sport and was quoted by The Mirror saying:

"What this does is make it a four-way race. I still think that City are the team to beat. They have the know-how, they’ve done it, they’re the champions and they’re the team who others have got to get past.

"You want it to be interesting, you don’t want it to be a one-horse race, you want loads of teams at it going into the new year and I think we’re going to have that this year."

Ferdinand added that Ronaldo is in the best position to spark a winning mentality around the players at Old Trafford.

"He left here as the best player in the world and he turned up in Manchester as someone who was about entertaining and skills etc, but he's very much a man about stats now and you see his level last season.

"Chelsea brought in a striker for £98million, yes different ages and profile etc but Ronaldo outscored him in Serie A last season. That tells you the level that he's at.

"He'll come in and score goals and more importantly around the training ground and at this football club, there isn't anyone else better equipped to show them how to win, consistently at Manchester United, he's the guy for that."

Ronaldo will have to wait till after the international break to make his debut for United after they failed to register him in time for this weekend's encounter.

How Cristiano Ronaldo's return is affecting Man United's fortunes

Legit.ng earlier reported that Manchester United have continued to rake in more dividends after signing Cristiano Ronaldo for the second time in his career.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is expected to sign a two-year deal once he concludes his medical this weekend.

Apart from making them title Rcontenders, theed Devils are already winning off the pitch as the club has already gained over 1.5 million Instagram followers since they announced his return.