United need to rebuild quickly.

Now that the Cristiano Ronaldo saga is finally over, Manchester United are faced with another problem, the need to rebuild the current side quickly to cope with the loss. You can do an awful lot with £80 million but United are unlikely to receive the full amount all in one go, which means Sir Alex Ferguson will need to be wise in the way he handles the funds.

United have numerous options. They would do well to get Carlos Tevez on a permanent contract before he decides to go elsewhere. It is clear just how much the Argentine loves the club and the fans love him, a nice thing to consider when there are very few loyalties in the game. Tevez also has a work ethic that no amount of money can buy and although he will never have the quality that Ronaldo did, he is miles ahead in terms of effort and energy.

United will also need a world class winger to come in as well. A deal for Wigan’s Luis Valencia looks almost certain but it is likely that Ferguson will want to go for a real high calibre player to come in and strengthen things even further. Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich is one option but the German club’s price tag of over £50 million could put United off.

The club should have faith in the manager. There was a mixed reaction yesterday when news reached the fans about Ronaldo’s departure. Some were happy to see him go and others thought it was the end of the world. This not the first time Ferguson has got fed up with a player and eventually sold him, David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ruud Van Nistelrooy all went the same way. Each time Ferguson has come back and reinvented the side and still won numerous trophies.

It could be that through Ronaldo’s departure two or three doors of opportunity are opened up for United that would otherwise have not been there. It is naïve to say they won’t miss him because any player who leaves that can score 30 goals a season will be a massive loss. However, the point is that some of his performances this season were ordinary and buy freeing up funds and space for two or three more players, United could consolidate their challenge in England as well as in Europe.

Ferguson will probably already be hoping that his side face Real Madrid at some point next season just so he can show Ronaldo that he is not missed and that they do not need him. The potential finances that United have are now huge, they doubtless had a few million in the bank before the transfer and now that it has become a reality they could afford two absolutely world class players. Whether Ferguson goes down this route remains to be seen.

United have a very strong squad and will be looking to make it even stronger. Yes the fans should be down because they have lost a great player but it is pointless trying to keep someone who clearly wants to go elsewhere. Now Madrid have the ego problem and United can rebuild.