THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — While Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from Manchester United ended the most protracted transfer saga in recent years, the winger’s legacy could loom large over Old Trafford this season.
With most of the 80 million pounds (C$143 million) Real Madrid paid for the world player of the year still not reinvested in new talent, another slow start to the season could raise questions over Alex Ferguson’s reluctance to compete with big-spending Real Madrid and Manchester City in the transfer market.
The Glazer family who own the club have told Ferguson the cash was not required to service large debt repayments and could be used to strengthen a squad chasing a record fourth straight Premier League title and looking to avenge May’s Champions League final loss to Barcelona.
The frugal Ferguson though has spent just a quarter of the Ronaldo windfall on wingers Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan, with the most startling recruit costing nothing.
Out of contract at Newcastle and written off as injury-prone by England manager Fabio Capello, Old Trafford was the last place Michael Owen was expected to be starting the season.
But the 29-year-old former Liverpool striker was scoring consistently on the pre-season tour of Asia as he slotted into the United side with ease.
"It is worth the risk. Sometimes you have a punt, a bet or a gamble," Ferguson said. "You get the same things off Owen all the time — the ball moves into the last third and he is looking to be in between players immediately."
Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov are likely to remain the first-choice strikers, but they will know Owen along with youngsters Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck are potential replacements waiting for their moment.
They will all be under pressure to provide the goals that Ronaldo, top scorer in the last two seasons, was relied on to deliver.
"Cristiano is a big loss in terms of the goals he gave us," Ferguson said. "But we will just have to find the goals from somewhere else and our tactics will adjust accordingly. Fans will see us playing a slightly different style of football this season."
Looking over his squad, he added: "If we are going to win the league again or do well in Europe we certainly need players to step up."
If they don’t, those "Viva Ronaldo" chants could be revived in the stands by nostalgic fans ruing his loss.
Their despondency could also grow if Manchester City poses a threat that matches its spending spree since May. The crosstown rival has already lured Carlos Tevez across the Manchester divide and has made it tougher for United to sign players by inflating prices in the transfer market.
But Ferguson is dismissive of a team that has rarely troubled him since taking charge at Old Trafford in 1986.
"They are a small club with a small mentality," Ferguson said. "They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff."
If the 67-year-old manager is wondering who will provide the 100-plus goals he wants scored, he is convinced the solid defence can be depended on to contain their opponents.
The central partnership of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand is one of the most reliable in the game, but Ferdinand will want to avoid another season blighted by back and calf injuries.
A more pressing issue for Ferguson is how to deploy the players he calls his "dinosaurs": right back Gary Neville, 34, and midfielders Paul Scholes, 34, and Ryan Giggs, 35.
"People may say Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville are finished, that they’ve had their day, but that is a pretty dangerous assumption," Ferguson said. "Giggs has been out of this world in pre-season. I don’t know how he does it. At 35 years of age he still has so much energy, and an incredible change of pace to go past defenders."
Another veteran is 38-year-old goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who will miss up to the first two months of the season through injury, giving Ben Foster a chance to stake a claim to become his long-term successor.
"There is no question in my mind that he will be England’s goalkeeper," Ferguson said. "There is nobody better. I am absolutely convinced of that."
While Ferguson has spent the off-season happy to address Ronaldo’s departure and the big spending at Man City and Real Madrid, he is less articulate when it comes to the 2-0 loss to Barcelona that stopped United becoming the first side to win back-to-back Champions League titles.
"I know exactly what went wrong, but I’m not going to get into it," he said. "We threw it away."
As the new season looms, Ferguson will be determined that United do not do the same with their Premier League crown, even without Ronaldo.