Ronaldo sent ultimatum by new Portugal boss after retirement bombshell

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Portugal's new manager has made it clear that he wants

Cristiano Ronaldo

to remain a key part of their national team - but won't guarantee him a call-up.

Ronaldo and

Portugal

were left heartbroken earlier this week

when Spain struck at the death to eliminate them

from the World Cup in the round of 16. At 41 years of age, Ronaldo confirmed during the tournament that this would be his final World Cup

and was visibly distraught

in the aftermath of the defeat to

Spain

.

Speculation over Ronaldo's international future has been rife, with his sister

making a bombshell claim during the tournament

that he'd already decided to retire from international football this summer. There has also been a backlash from some fans those within the media over the veteran's role as first-choice striker.

But if Jorge Jesus' first words after being named as Portugal's new head coach are anything to go by, then Ronaldo is still wanted to play for his country.

"I haven't spoken to Cris yet. He will never be a problem for the national team or for me," said Jesus after being unveiled as Roberto Martinez's successor on Friday. "As for the controversy, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

"When the time comes to make a decision, I will speak with Cris and with everyone else individually. Cris is a symbol of Portugal. He will go down in history. It has been a great pleasure working with him. He is incredibly easy to work with.

"I need to speak with him to find out what he wants to do. He has always told me that he wants to finish his career at Al-Nassr... As long as he's playing and is in a condition to be selected, I will pick him, within certain limits and under the conditions that I consider best for the national team."

Jesus is a figure Ronaldo knows well after managing the former

Manchester United

and

Real Madrid

star at Al-Nassr, whom he guided to the

Saudi Pro League

title back in May.

And he certainly didn't give the impression that Ronaldo's advancing years would be an issue.

He added: "Age doesn't matter. Look at Cris. Under me, he used to cover eight kilometres per match, reaching speeds above 25km per hour.

"He played when I felt it was necessary. Sometimes I wouldn't even name him to the bench. Still on the subject of Cris, he played in 31 of 50 games last year.

"I substituted him 16 times and there were never any problems. I have a big advantage here because 12 of the players called up for the World Cup have already worked with me."