RONALDO RULES OUT SEASON RETURN
It had been tentatively suggested that the brilliant Brazilian, who has now been out for the best part of two seasons with injury, could be in line to make a morale boosting return to the Inter first-team squad, but the player himself has admitted that this will not be the case.
"I am very well," the 24-year-old told Italian television. "But I have a long way to go from a muscular point of view.
"I don't think that it would be in my or the club's best interests to make a return this season.
"I am very close to a return though. I feel good and all the work I am doing at the moment is so that I can trust that something like this will not happen again."
Ronaldo moved to Inter from Barcelona in 1997 and had an immediate impact in his first season with a 25-goal haul, before a controversially low-key performance in the final of France 98 seemingly began a downhill spiral for the Brazilian that culminated in a serious knee injury.
The South American made a comeback from the original injury just over a year ago, but to the horror of the footballing world lasted just minutes after coming off the substitutes` bench before his knee buckled badly, causing major ligament damage.
After suffering a torrid season, that has only recently begun to show signs of Inter's incredible wealth of talent under coach Marco Tardelli, the Neroazzurri fans see the return of the talismanic Ronaldo as the true sign that their club can once more be great again - but it appears they may have to wait until the start of the 2001-02 season.
