Ronnie should go to help United

The CounterAttack picked up a Dutch friend at the airport yesterday, and asked: “Which of the Real Madrid Dutchies would be good for Manchester?”

 

“Well, van der Vaart is silky smooth on the ball,” he said, “but Sneijder has more bite on the field. Then again, why not get Robben or if you need a striker, Huntelaar? Why?”

 

Because it says here that Manchester United should finally take advantage of Real Madrid’s tawdry years-long pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo. The CounterAttack predicts that Manchester have little reason to hold onto him this time and should instead take the money and run, laughing all the way to the bank.

 

This is not a backlash against Ronnie. It’s not personal, it’s strictly business. Make no mistake – Ronaldo is a fantastically talented winger who has averaged a hair less than 20 goals in each of his five years at the club, including 42 in 2007-08. He is a player that can take over and win a match. His semi-final 40-yarder v Porto was only the most recent wonder-goal of many for United that also came at a timely moment.

 

BUT. But. But….For all that, Ronaldo has limitations at the team level. The Champions League final crystallized this. Again, let it be clear: this is not a sour grapes issue. After all, Ronnie was arguably the only Red that showed up in Rome. As the match progressed, however, it became clear that Ronaldo had decided to be the team. It was most likely justified but there were instances where he shot on goal rather than squaring to pass. When Ronaldo decides to take over a game, there is no room for others, and that does not fly in Sir Alex’s squad system.

 

That system is why Rooney has had to accept a linking role, Tevez is relegated to the bench, and Berbatov is a spot starter. Ronaldo is marvelous but the truth is that he is slightly out of position. Worse, in terms of overall talent, on both sides of the ball, and as a team player, both Tevez and Rooney are much better than Ronaldo. After all, Rooney or Tevez have poor games up front, they can track back and harass and try to win the ball. This is a glaring deficiency in Ronnie’s CV – when he is off, that’s it.

 

But there are other reasons to sell Ronaldo. Manchester have never effectively replaced Roy Keane. There was no bite in the midfield, no strong link between defence and offence. Owen Hargreaves might offer some needed presence but it would be quite a stretch to suggest that the Canadian Englishman was the missing piece against Barca. Any fair observer, however, can imagine a very different game with Rooney and Tevez starting and linking with Berbatov, instead of waiting for Ronaldo to take over.

 

Thirdly, there is the possibility that Sir Alex might have had enough of another player grown too big for his boots. The watershed is probably Ronnie’s snatched-towel substitution v Man City. Yes, Sir Alex downplayed the incident, but so did he with similar incidents for Stam, Beckham, van Nistelrooij and Heinze…just before they were sold. It could be that enough is enough, and if Real is serious and their offer high enough, it would allow everyone to save face.

 

The guess here is that the transfer fee will be around £80 million, a staggering sum mentioned several times by Real. It is impossible to see Manchester agreeing to less but more would be too much even for Madrid. Here is a kicker – the CounterAttack would suggest United take less money, take a problem off Real’s hands, and strengthen United’s squad in the process.

 

Even without new buys, Madrid have too many attackers: Sneijder, van der Vaart, Guti, Raul, Saviola, Huntelaar, Robben, plus the still-lethal van Nistelrooij. Maybe Kaka. Maybe David Silva.

 

For the Dutch, that is an entire generation of potential national team starters, each fighting to make the roster for South Africa. There is no way any of them can afford to sit as substitutes for an entire season, especially not this season. The CounterAttack expects that at least some of Dutch players are looking for new clubs. Elite players need Champions League football, and the Premier League is the obvious choice.

 

After all, it is difficult to imagine Real helping Barca get stronger. If Kaka goes – we find out tomorrow – Milan will be less able to contend for Champions League for another couple of years still. Few teams can afford high price tags and make deep Champions League runs. Inter or Juventus might be options; then again, Manchester, Liverpool or Chelsea have all made consecutive semi-final trips in Champions League. It would be foolish to bet against any of those three for next season. So despite protestations on the weather, it makes sense for the Dutchies to head to England.

 

Manchester have their attack sorted even without Ronaldo, through Rooney and Berbatov, so that’s Huntelaar out. Robben’s ever-sore hamstrings prevent him from becoming a natural successor to Giggs. While van der Vaart would be an excellent addition at Old Trafford, what Manchester really need is a midfield with bite. Sneijder excels at that role, and can shore up an attack. He would be a good fit for United’s style, while highlighting his talents for inclusion at South Africa in 2010.

 

Says the CounterAttack: not only will United finally sell Ronnie to Madrid, they will use the money to go after Sneijder. Nail-hard, football smart and talented on the ball, Sneijder would be a more talented Roy Keane…with less red mist. Rarely is a club of Manchester’s stature able to set a world-record transfer fee and still be able to improve its squad.

 

The CounterAttack feels that Sir Alex is astute enough to make the move, and then take about £25 million to sign Sneijder, another £32 million to re-sign Tevez – oh yes, he will re-sign since Ronnie’s departure means more starting opportunities for Carlitos – and still have more than £20 million surplus. All from one sale. And, that’s not to mention the £25 million already in the transfer kitty that can be used for other purposes.

 

So it’s not if United should do it but rather, how can they not. We wish you well, Ronnie, thanks for the memories.