Former Manchester United player and current Manchester United academy director, Brian McClair, has voiced the opinion shared by the majority of our fans.

Big players come and go but United’s success continues. Just as we gone on to win titles and European Cups since Eric Cantona and David Beckham left, we’ll get by without Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Look back at the club’s history,” said McClair. “George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham have departed United in some shape or form and the club has continued to thrive, and in certain cases, has gone on to bigger and better things. A club as big as United is going to have big players and players move on. That’s a fact of football life. No one player is irreplaceable. Or to put it another way nobody is bigger than the club. Selling Ronaldo to Real Madrid is good business. His comments in the past have intimated that he was not happy. There’s no point keeping a player in that state of mind as it will eventually start to affect those around him. We move on. United have always changed and adapted and that process is underpinned by the knowledge and experience possessed by the coaches and the manager. There are young players at the club who have benefitted from that knowledge and experience. Now is the time for some of them who we have developed to see Ronaldo’s departure as an opportunity.”