Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was the man who made the
ultimate decision to sell Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo to Real
Madrid, according to the club's American owners, the Glazer family,
and also hinted that the Scotsman's hands will not be financially
tied when it comes to dealing in this summer's transfer
market.
An £80 million offer was accepted by the Red Devils from the
Spanish giants yesterday, and the player is expected to complete
his move over the next couple of weeks or so.
The American entrepreneurs' purchase of the club has led to a
massive amount of debt at Old Trafford, but the Glazers were at
pains to point out that the sale of the superstar was unrelated to
that particular aspect of the club's structure.
A spokesman from the Glazer family told Sky Sports News,
"The idea Manchester United are motivated by a debt burden is just
not true. It is not an issue.
"The fact is Cristiano Ronaldo decided after six years it was time
to move on and the manager said 'okay'.
"Sir Alex Ferguson is in total control of his squad. He's empowered
to make whatever decisions he thinks are in the best interests of
Manchester United. That continues to be the case.
"A substantial number of world-class players have been brought to
the club in the last few years and that will still be the
case."
Names such as Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema have already been
touted as potential transfer targets for the Red Devils, and it
seems Ferguson has been given a green light to go ahead and try and
secure the services of whichever players he thinks can take the
club forward.