Club completes Ronaldo sale

Manchester United has completed the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. The unconditional £80million transfer fee has been paid.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Cristiano has been a marvellous player for Manchester United. His six years at Old Trafford have seen him develop into the best footballer in the world.

"His contribution has been a major factor in the club’s success in that time and his talent, his ability to entertain and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over.

“Everyone here wishes him well in his future career.”

Report by Press Department

Rooney raring to go

Report by Steve Bartram

Wayne Rooney is readying himself for a pivotal season in his career, as he admits that he is desperate to realise his full potential.

The England striker is expected to shoulder more of the Reds' goalscoring burden following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure and, with the 2010 World Cup looming large, he is hell-bent on making it a season to remember.

“For me personally, next season could be the season that transforms me from someone who could be a great player into someone who is a great player,” Rooney told The Times.

“That’s what I’m hoping. It’s a massive season for the club and for me personally, with the prize at the end of it being the World Cup. It’s a season which I want to grab with both hands."

Since bursting onto the scene as a gifted but volatile 16-year-old with Everton, Rooney's improvement as a player has been obvious. Now a highly-decorated 23-year-old, Rooney still simmers close to the boil in order to retain his on-field edge, and he has pledged to continue to give everything for the United cause this term.

"The older you get, the more you try to set a good example rather than a bad example," he said. "On the pitch I’m a competitor and when you’re playing in the biggest league in the world, especially when I was starting at such a young age, there are a lot of emotions.

“I’ve worked on that. Sometimes I get a booking or do something and it’s all over the papers or on the news or whatever. I see other players doing ten times worse and nothing is mentioned. But I understand it.

“That’s the way I’ve been brought up. I’ve been brought up to try to do the best I can in everything I do. I don’t think I’ve ever come off the pitch and thought that I hadn’t done the best I could have done. Sometimes it goes to plan and sometimes it doesn’t, but I’ve never come off the pitch thinking I didn’t give my best and I don’t think I ever will.”

Papers: Benzema in demand

Lyons deny they have sold Benzema
Lyons have denied they are on the brink of selling Karim Benzema to Real Madrid but say they have received a large offer for the forward, who is a Manchester United target. Reports in the Spanish media today claimed that a move to the Bernabeu for the 21-year-old forward was virtually a done deal and that Lyons had accepted an increased offer of €35 million (around £30m). However, the French club's director of communications said that they have not concluded a deal with anyone. “We certainly did receive an offer of a sum appreciably superior to the sum that has been mentioned, but nothing says that it comes from Real,” Olivier Blanc told L’Equipe. “There is no agreement with anyone.”
Staff reporter, The Times

The Daily Star agrees that United's next signing will be coming from Ligue 1, but insists it will be 23-year-old Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, rather than Benzema. The £11m-rated forward was the top scorer in the French top flight last term, bagging 24 goals.

Lee Martin will be one of the first players to make way for new arrivals, according to The Daily Mirror, who claim the winger will be on his way to Roy Keane's Ipswich Town in a £2million deal.

One United stalwart who won't be leaving Old Trafford is defender Nemanja Vidic. The Serbian has once again voiced his desire to stay with the Reds, despite interest from AC Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Round up by Steve Bartram

Gallery: Valencia arrives

Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia became United's first summer signing in 2009 when he joined the Reds from Wigan Athletic on 30 June.

The skilful 23-year-old has more than 30 caps for his country, including one in the 1-0 defeat to England in the 2006 World Cup. His performances at the tournament earned him a nomination for FIFA's Best Young Player award and raised a few eyebrows among Europe's top bosses.

It was Wigan boss Paul Jewell, however, who won the race for his signature and he arrived at the JJB Stadium on loan that year, having previously enjoyed stints in Spain at Recreativo

Huelva (loan) and Villarreal. It was the latter who first spotted his talent, bringing him to Europe from Ecuadorian club El Nacional in 2005.

In his three seasons at Wigan, Valencia made 83 appearances, scoring seven times. One of his most memorable games actually came against United in January 2009, when he ran riot on the right wing in the Latics' 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

Steve Bruce, who spent two years managing Valencia at Wigan, regards him as one of the most exciting prospects in the English game. His pace and ability to go past a man and reach the byline were key to Wigan’s rise under Bruce, and his supply to Emile Heskey helped ensure the team’s survival in the top flight in 2007/08.

"Valencia has got that thing which not many players have anymore – the ability to dribble," Bruce said.

"People who can run with the ball, take it up the pitch and beat a man are a dying breed – there aren't many around. We don't produce players who want to dribble, we seem to produce the archetypal steady English player. If a player does want to take his man on and run with the ball, people will want to pay to go and see him."

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