Players Always Leave Man U with Blood On The Carpet Like Roy Keane, van Nistlerooy and Beckham

If the English press can be believed, and that is a short article with one word No, then Christiano Ronaldo is heading for better pay and weather elsewhere. Seemingly the absence of leadership at Old Trafford, or maybe because they wish it so, is allowing divisive stories with quotes in the names of Rooney and Ronaldo to continue.

The moronic hounding of Ronaldo Old Trafford is currently presiding over seems to serve no purpose unless they want him gone at any price. Will big name players be encouraged to come to United after seeing a ridiculous cover up campaign for one player's violent actions target a team mate, who whilst showing himself up as a person was not responsible for anything.

Alternate explanations could be that SAF like the ageing Busby with Best has lost his hold and is in hock to a kid who can play anywhere at a time when the United name is not what it was - nor its economic power as great. There may also be doubts about Ronaldo's effectiveness in games and that this suits.

Nonetheless it strikes me as odd United have allowed this pantomime to happen in the press. They have the additional soap opera of Ruud van Nistlerooy leaving as well. Although having seemingly worked to move him since he signed a new contract they may now be backtracking realising they might get 30 or 40 million for RvN and Ronaldo but what does that get you? Ageing strikers can seem to cost 30 million and there is talk of a pretty ordinary midfielder like Carrick going for 14 million to United.

Alternately United could have a huge belief in Rooney, Saha, Ole Gunnar and Rossi but not sure many of their fans have.

Rooney of course could be anything and has hardened pundits already calling him "our best player" despite his England form being mixed. Nonetheless United fans could be forgiven for getting very excited when United started to play their strikers more flexibly with Rooney at the front, not dropped off as most pundits seem only to see him. Indeed his partnership with Saha quietened my personal disquiet that he [Rooney] would be another Owen dovetailing with no one and make the national side rise or fall on his intermittent goal scoring. Indeed when RvN came back he and Rooney played flexibly with even Ruud supplying passes and positioning himself off the Kid.

Saha was magnificent last year and seemed to bring the best out in Rooney by playing behind him when he was on the line and in front when Rooney drops off. They became possibly the most effective pairing around at the end of last season. The only problem is that Saha's career is punctuated by long droughts and injuries and you would not want to rely on him.

Ole Gunnar Solskjear may be a Old Trafford legend but was never that good and indeed became more and more of a reserve the further United advanced. In 1999 at the peak of his powers he was 4th choice striker behind Cole, Yorke and Sheringham. Now he has had injuries and seems destined for a coaching role more than a playing role.

Rossi is a prospect and as such is more likely to be in Serie B as a first team regular at Manchester United.

In the end maybe this will boil over and everyone will shake hands and Ferguson will use his magic to harmonise and use RvN, Rooney, Saha and the boys to "prove some of us wrong". Maybe he has a new player or signing to unleash. Nonetheless I would be more worried about the lack of direction and lack of any control over a petty pointless spat between two players.

As an aside to finish on it does amuse me that the only way for big name players to leave Old Trafford is via an argument with Ferguson. A petty childish girly he said she said spat as Beckham, Ince and others have gone through. Stam at least was nearly surgical although no less bitter. On Ronaldo it may suit him to have these stories but will people now leave United because they fall out not with the manager but the most important person left there - Wayne Rooney?