Is Manchester United desperate for Ronaldo's tricks and flicks this season to continue their dominant run in the Premier League? I don't think so and I can assure you that majority of the United fans don't think so too.
Its not the first time United have lost one of their best players. United have had to face such problems in the past as well and were able to cope with the loss of great talents. Be it Denis Law going back to City, Cantona retiring at 30, Becks and Nistelrooy going off to Madrid, United have never stopped working towards their ambition to be the best club to have ever played the game.
Since the Ronaldo transfer saga started at the end of the 2007-08 season, it was getting harder and harder to keep him at Old Trafford. Sir Alex did eventually manage to convince him to stay for the next season. But didn't we all know he would leave and the end of the previous season? It was inevitable. Think about it. If United failed to win any silverware he'd leave saying "I need a new challenge". If United did win trophies (which they did) he'd leave saying "I've won all I possibly can with United. Its time to move on". I'm pretty sure Sir Alex knew that he was going to leave. So one piece of good news is that United had an entire season to prepare for this moment.
It is now upto the strikers to fill in the hole Ronaldo has left behind. Rooney has certainly proved that hes up for the challenge scoring 3 of United's 6 goals in their 2 wins this season. Michael Owen was very impressive in the pre-season friendlies and scored an exquisite goal against Wigan Athletic. Hopefully his good form will continue throughout the season. Ronaldo's exit also ought to be Dimitar Berbatov's invitation to come to the fore. The Bulgarian is an elusive character, proud of his laid-back style in one moment and doubtful of his status the next. Like Rooney, he has a latent panache that should be expressed more often when Ronaldo no longer hogs the stage.
