At least Real Madrid won't hijack this deal & Ronaldo’s step down....

At least Real Madrid won't hijack this deal.

A few days ago during this weird mini-heat wave we have been enjoying in Manchester, my girlfriend asked me why Michael Owen got relegated. I thought he was good, she said, with the simplistic view that only bad players get relegated. I contemplated explaining the Newcastle saga but decided to agree that ‘yes, he’s alright’. Then came the line she has been triumphantly reminding me of tonight, she suggested that United should buy him. Yeah, course they should sweetheart – let’s get you out of the sun now you’re talking nonsense.

Is Fergie G-Owen crazy? Maybe, but I like it.

As everybody has known, Michael Owen is available on a free. Initially, clubs like Hull and Stoke were credited with an interest. Nah, he’s too good for them was my suggestion. Then there was talk that Villa and Everton could be in for him. He could be good at Villa or Everton was my initial reaction, with a bit more thinking, though, I began to think that if he still has the magic, he could be really, really good at Villa or Everton. That’s where I left it, Owen to Villa or Everton, that’ll be lovely.

Next thing I know, Sky Sports are showing a top story that the deal to United was ‘imminent’ - I thought I was seeing things. You know the way Peter Kay described garlic bread, I was much the same when digesting the headline. Michael Owen to Manchester United. What?? Crikey, Fergie, we are scraping the barrel here, big man, a bit risky I thought, bit of a gamble signing Owen. Then I thought, is it really a gamble? After all, the outlay is nothing, if the deal goes through we will be signing a player who can offer something to United which we haven’t had for the last few years. When he is fit, sharp and, most importantly, hungry, Owen is a predator. He has the instinct and desire which Van Nistelrooy had. Give either of them the ball in the box and it will probably go in. He also offers something which Rooney and Park are often guilty of lacking: clinical finishing when they only have the keeper to beat. Michael Owen with a point to prove and the desire and stage to prove it would be a cracking signing for any of the top teams on the Premiership.

Ronaldo’s step down will see Rooney step up……

So, there we have it. Barring a highly unlikely U-turn, Ronaldo’s gone and United are searching for a new ‘number 7’ and a new best player.

When I initially heard the news that United had accepted an £80million bid for Ronaldo I was gutted. There’s no hiding it, as much as his histrionics annoy me, I secretly loved the fact we had a player that struck fear in to every team we played. After years and years of having great players, we finally had somebody who was recognised as the greatest player in the world.

After the cursing of Madrid, Ronaldo and my colleague who told me the news, I began to think that the world beater I was mourning for was what we’d had last season. This season, Ronaldo has either been below par or he has shown everybody that the previous two seasons were the best he could offer and, hopefully now, the best he will ever offer. It got me thinking, is £80million a cracking deal for a player whose heart has lay in Spain for at least 12 months? For a player who scored 18 league goals last year? For a player who had no more than 3 or 4 ‘world player of the year’ type performances last year? Answer no to any of those and you could lie as well as Ronaldo did when he claimed he would be at Old Trafford next year. For 80 million big ones, I think Perez might have been had - break your heart that wouldn’t it. Pellegrini, Perez or whoever picks the team won’t ever get a better two seasons out of him than United got between 2006 and 2008.