Replacing Ronaldo

First the boy from Brazil, now the prodigy from Portugal. Manchester Untied have accepted an £80million bid from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo that will likely see the current World Player of the Year sign for the Spaniards by the end of the month.

The Galacticos sequel (the empire buys back) is in production; Real may not be finished spending despite committing almost £140 million with the additions of Kaka and Ronaldo. For Manchester United comes the task of replacing about 30 goals a season (91 over the last three years in all competitions) and arguably the world's most dangerous forward. His strength, size, pace and ability were so ably showcased in the opening minutes of potentially his last appearance for the Red Devils - the Champions League Final versus Barcelona - and in so many games previously.

Ronaldo scored the winner in Porto, the first two in their vital 3-2 victory over Aston Villa, the opening goal in last years Champions League Final and his mere presence on the field created opportunities for the players around him. The 24-year old combined brillliantly so often with Wayne Rooney and, along with Dimi Berbatov and Carlos Tevez, gave United one of the best collectives of attacking players in the world. United, with Ronaldo at the peak of his powers, have scored 231 league goals in the last three seasons - thats 34 more than Chelsea, 30 more than Liverpool and 26 more than Arsenal.

But Ronaldo is not irreplaceable. United have long said farewell to some of their premier talent - Cantona, Stam, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy were all at the peak of their powers when they left. Unfortunately for fans of the Red Devils, in the four seasons following the departure of these players, their team only won 1 league title and 1 FA Cup. And while circumstances are slightly different though this time around - United have the strongest squad in the Premiership and will have upwards of £80million to spend on replacements - this may have been a turbulent summer in any event for the club.

Do they try and sign Carlos Tevez? How do they replace the ageing Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville? How do they replenish the center of the midfield, found so wanting in Rome? Ferguson would have had these issues to deal with irrespective of a twist in the Ronaldo-to-Real saga but would he have had the funds?

The United hierarchy have suggested that the decision to sell Ronaldo was purely made by Sir Alex. This may be a stock response to lessen a negative reaction from the fans or it could be that the bid was too large to reject - that, in Fergusons mind, nobody is worth that much right now. Perhaps Ronaldo himself prompted his manager to accept the deal and Sir Alex no longer wanted the distraction. In any event, the bank balance will be sufficiently swelled to allow the United supremo to buy just about anybody.

But who?

Already on staff are a few guys who would be keen to audition for the role; Nani has played 71 games for United in two seasons and yet his performances have not shown the maturity required to be a regular starter - he appears a few years behind his Portuguese colleague at this stage of his career. Ji-Sung Park has missed time with knee injuries during his tenure but played a key part in their European campaign last season, including starting in the final. The South Korean offers maturity and work rate but not goals - only 12 in 123 goals appearances. Zoran Tosic, signed from Partizan Belgrade, could be a long-term solution on the left but there is no clear successor on the right side.

The onus will be on Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney to step up and replace Ronaldo's goal threat. Whether they stump up the £32million-odd for Tevez or not, Manchester United do not have the options currently to replace everything that Ronaldo can provide. Problematically, nobody can.

Manchester United have been linked with a number of players as replacements for or supplements to Ronaldo's talents. The likes of Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich, Ashley Young of Aston Villa, Karim Benzema of Lyon, Antonio Valencia of Wigan, Alexis Sanchez of Udinese, even cross-town rival Robinho have been mentioned but none of these players have the versatility, aggression and ultimately goals of the Portuguese star.

One player does not make a team though. United won League titles and European trophies before the latest wing wonder made his debut and, while they will lose an individual they cannot directly replace, they can strengthen the unit around the void that he will leave. They need an eventual inheritor to the right back slot - although i'm sure Ferguson would hope that Wes Brown can return from injury to compete for the place and that young Rafael will grow into the starting job - a 'destroyer' in midfield - Owen Hargreaves' future following surgery to both knees is, at best, uncertain - and a centre forward - Tevez may not be back, Macheda and Welbeck need time to develop.

The fans may well demand one 'box office' signing, a player that will deliver style, entertainment and end product, but United may be just as well served by allowing Wayne Rooney more freedom and asking more of Berbatov. Perhaps even more importantly in they trying financial climate, United will also lose one of the World's most marketable assets. Ronaldo is worth far more than his inflated wages and his sale could widen the gap between Real - the most profitable club in the world - and Man U - the second most. Is there a player available (so not Messi or Kaka and there is no way they're buying Beckham or Ronaldinho) that can 'sell' anywhere near as well? No.

Ferguson has seen it all before; Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Becham and Cristiano Ronaldo. All icons. All wore the number 7 shirt. All left. The only other constant? Manchester United found a way to replace them and to win trophies. Ronaldo will be as hard to replace as any but the collective will continue, the team will adjust and in just a few years, there will be a new No.7 - Real will probably want him too.