United will miss Ronaldo

Put simply, a great deal. Love him or loathe him, Ronaldo is irreplaceable.

Eighty million pounds is certainly a sizeable sum to play with - assuming it all goes in the transfer kitty - but the plain fact of the matter is that no amount of money can buy a player who can offer what Ronaldo does.

Goals aside, Ronaldo's great strength is his versatility. Alex Ferguson knows he can play him anywhere across the front three and still reap the rewards. Right wing, left wing, through the middle; it doesn't matter. Ronaldo is equally effective wherever he plays.

Few others can offer that kind of service. United are blessed in that Wayne Rooney is one of this rare breed, but it is difficult to think of another player in the Premier League, or indeed anywhere on the continent, who is capable of doing the same.

Such is Ronaldo's adaptability, the problem United now face is working out whether to bring in a forward like Karim Benzma or a winger such as Franck Ribery to fill the gap left by his probable departure.

With such a large sum in the bank, it is most likely Ferguson will opt to bring in a player in each position. And that says it all really - one Ronaldo is worth two other players.

Few would disagree that the character Ronaldo assumes both on the pitch and off it leaves something to be desired - scowls and tight shorts will never endear him to the general public - but footballers are not contracted to be nice people or have good fashion sense.

Sure, if a player does manage to charm his critics, so much the better, but as long as he performs on the pitch and manages to stay out of trouble off it, there should be no issue.

More often than not, Ronaldo succeeds in doing that. United fans are not expected to go for a drink with him, they should merely want him to do what he does best - score goals and win trophies for the club.

His record speaks volumes: since arriving in Manchester in 2003, he has won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, the World Club Cup and a Champions League for good measure, scoring a total of 117 goals along the way. His impact has been enormous and there is no doubt he has played a huge part in United's success over the past six years.

The mantra that no one player is bigger than United remains true, and United have certainly recovered from the departure of important players in the recent past - think Roy Keane, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy - but will United be a better team without Ronaldo?

The answer is no, regardless of who is brought in. Even Lionel Messi or Kaka, neither of whom will be arriving at Old Trafford, offer what Ronaldo does.

Ribery and Antonio Valencia have been mooted as more likely replacements but who can honestly say either one is on the same level as Ronaldo?

At least United will now be able to put the whole drawn-out saga behind them and move on from it without any baggage - for that they will be thankful - but nevertheless Ronaldo's presence on the pitch will be sorely missed.