Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed any suggestion that a private deal has been struck regarding a summer transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. With an outburst yesterday that was as heartfelt as it was outspoken, the Manchester United manager as good as drew a halt to the hope of cordiality between the clubs returning any time in the near future.

Responding to reports in a Spanish newspaper that Pedro Trapote, a Real director, revealed it had been agreed that Ronaldo would move to Spain at the end of the season, Ferguson was contemptuous. Speaking slowly for greater emphasis, he sneered: “Do you think I would get into a contract with that mob? No chance, exactly. Christ almighty, I wouldn’t sell them a virus, let alone Cristiano Ronaldo. So you can take that as a no. There is no agreement whatsoever between the clubs.”

Asked whether he thought it coincidental that the supposed leak came within a few days of Real’s defeat by Barcelona, which left them outside the Champions League places in Spain, and the dismissal of Bernd Schuster as coach, Ferguson was equally dismissive.

“They blame everybody but themselves,” he said. “But I said to David Gill, our chief executive, last summer when we sold Gabriel Heinze to them that you can bet your life it will start up again in January with Cristiano. And it will start in January, you can be sure of that, so the best thing for us to do is to get on with it.

“If we keep worrying about what Real Madrid are going to say, we stop concentrating on our own business and the difficult games we have coming up. Sometimes it can become an angry situation and I get annoyed by it, but we know their game and we should just play our game. We’ve got to ignore it.”

The resumption of hostilities between the clubs follows a summer in which Ronaldo and Real appeared to engage in a very public courtship, but, asked yesterday about the reports, the Portugal forward twice refused to comment.

However, Gary Neville accused Real of acting improperly. “There should be a level of respect shown between the clubs,” the United club captain said. “The speculation will always be there and as a player there is nothing you can do, but I do know Manchester United have never sold a player they wanted to keep, and they want to keep Ronaldo. He was outstanding last season and having found his feet after injury, is now getting to that level again.”

The Spanish newspaper report was considered to have come from a significant source, with Trapote a public ally of Ramón Calderón, the Real president, and it happened at a bad time for United, who were reeling from the Football Association’s decision to release a detailed appraisal of the disciplinary hearing that led to a four-game ban for Patrice Evra, the left back.

In the report, published as part of an FA decision to encourage transparency — and only after Ferguson had criticised the punishment — a dim picture is painted of United’s behaviour during the “Battle of the Bridge” after the defeat by Chelsea on April 26. Evidence from senior United coaches is dismissed as unreliable and flaws and inconsistencies in United’s testimony are mercilessly highlighted.

“After taking so much time, we are disappointed with the Football Association,” Ferguson said. “I don’t think what they have done is very clever.”

The one bright light yesterday was the 5-3 victory over Gamba Osaka at the Club World Cup in Yokohama, Japan, which puts United through to Sunday’s final against Liga de Quito, of Ecuador. Wayne Rooney made an outstanding impact as a substitute, transforming a game that featured six goals in the final 17 minutes, three by each team. United are one game away from becoming the first British club to win the Club World Cup.