Sir Alex Ferguson has probably never had to work the media so hard as this summer. Like the Manchester rain, the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid has been a constant threat. Just when the sun appears to be shining on that front, along comes the loveable rogue that is Roman Calderon to undermine the Scot and tell the world that the player wants to come and play at the lovely Bernabeu.
The Daily Mail reports that the Man United manager continues to use the tabloids as an effective way of getting the message across to his player. He claimed last week that the Red Devils number seven will be sticking around next season, and he’s now also stated that Ronnie joining the Spanish champions would be detrimental to his career. Hmmmm…
‘When you have young players, you want to do the best for them,’ said Ferguson. ‘If you were giving advice to your son, you would give him the best advice, wouldn’t you? And the worst thing Cristiano could do at the age of 23 is to go to Real Madrid.
‘Cristiano is at the right club and a fantastic club. I genuinely believe I know what the best club in the world is for him and that is Manchester United.
‘The future for Cristiano is that he has signed a five-year contract and has four years left. I have seen his signature.
‘In the modern day, young lads can be twisted by the talk of money, but if you saw Cristiano after the Champions League Final against Chelsea, he was the happiest boy in the world.’
Is it realistic to imagine that the world’s best player will remain at Old Trafford for another four seasons? Ronaldo’s comments hardly smack of loyalty and, even if he does stick around for one more campaign, surely it’s odds-on that he’ll then jump ship next year? Do Fergie’s comments smack of desperation or is he right to be confident of keeping hold of his most important team member?