The Solitary Reason Why Fergie Will Buy This Summer

It is a fair point to highlight that United are in a gazillion pounds worth of debt. It is also fair to point out that the Glazers will suck as many pennies from the club as they can, as English football franchise (gulp!) owners. But one thing is true. They will know that if they don't have some sort of transfer kitty...be it only the £20 million a season that was promised to Fergie when they bought up all the shares, that the club could fall behind the others and it would damage their investment.

Last night we saw the reason why Manchester United will buy this summer. As 'the most important game of the season' was being played at Eastlands between one filthy rich club and the filthiest richest club in the universe, Sir Alex's eyes would almost definitely be glancing away from Sky Sports 2 and on another channel.

The virtuoso performance of the boy Cristiano for his new employers that we flogged him to was not only breath taking, but sort of proves a few thousand points as well. The most important of them being that if you lose such a precocious talent..a player of such outstanding ability..you are gonna feel it..and eventually you have to do something about that.

Sir Alex has been known to bide his time when one of his talisman leaves. He understands the problem..with one which you cannot replace, you need time and planning to adapt and rebuild. Cantona was irreplaceable. So he didn't try to. He adapted the team instead. Schmeichel was irreplaceable. So he didn't try and buy a clone but looked at different options as a whole. No one could cross a ball like Beckham, so he didn't try and find a player that maybe could. Fergie never tries to replace the very very very best with what others would consider the next best thing.

However, since the departure of Ronaldo now very nearly a year ago, it is evident that despite the heroics of Rooney, and the encouraging form of 'supposed' replacement Valencia, that United have lost a serious piece of artillery. Watching Ron score his hatrick last night, which represented his 23, 24 and 25th goals of an injury hit La Liga season, you just swooned at his ability and the grace he gives a football team. The man is like a radioactive nuclear bomb to an opponent. At £80 million he is looking like one hell of a bargain. It sort of made my stomach turn watching him yesterday, and sad that I used to witness him do that in the flesh from my vantage at Old Trafford every week. You don't know what you've got til its gone someone once sang. I think it was the very first time that I actually missed the ol' winker.

So with rumours abound that David Silva has said a move to United would be incredibly tempting and that the Premier League is the best in the world, it feels that its time Fergie got the chequebook out. £30 million was earmarked for Benzema last year, so I expect that the Glazers wont have a problem forking out that if Fergie clicks his fingers for a deal on the silky Spaniard. We must not forget that Chicharito and Smalling have already been added to the squad, so if we presume that the club doesn't sell anyone this year (though that is yet to be proved) then a marquee player like Silva would be a fantastic acquisition. There's still the risk that Nemanja Vidic may get tempted to a place where it does not rain as much, and also if someone comes in with a half decent bid for Berbatov he may well go, but other than them I cant see any outgoings of major concern.

The manager is the master of the rebuild. He has all the old blurprints stashed away in that locked draw in his office, that he has used before. Win or lose the title this Sunday is irrespective too the point. And that point is that if Fergie even just watched five minutes of Ronaldo yesterday, he will casting out his net for one of football's bigger fishes sometime very soon.