Fabregas could be the perfect Ronaldo replacement

So it’s finally done. The best player to have worn a Manchester United shirt in 40 years has finally got his wish, and barring miracles he will join Real Madrid this summer after years of hankering.

Manchester United fans will be initially distraught, but this cloud has a golden lining. At £80m the time was right to sell Ronaldo and had he stayed another year his value would have surely be reduced by at least £20m with only two years remaining on his contract. And most importantly, he wanted to leave. So that’s done and dusted once and for all – thank the Lord.

Now for the golden lining. Even if, as expected, the Ronaldo money is paid over several seasons, United’s transfer kitty now looks more healthy than ever at a time when they really need to freshen things up. Fans can expect at least one blockbuster signing over the coming weeks. Wigan’s Antonio Valencia played brilliantly when United visited the JJB in April and will offer natural width to the starting eleven, leaving Wayne Rooney to play in his natural and most effective role once more. Karim Benzema has also long been coveted by Sir Alex and he may still be tempted to Old Trafford.

But the one potentially available player that would undoubtedly suit United best is Cesc Fabregas. Many pundits argue that United missed a battler in midfield in the Champions League final, in the Essien mould. But this is nonsense. United’s main problem in Rome was that they couldn’t hold onto the ball when they had it. Time and time again, possession was wasted by United, and the real difference between the sides was Iniesta and, to a lesser degree, Xavi – players who controlled the game by making the right passes at the right time. And kept possession beautifully.

Barca certainly didn’t have an Essien on the pitch that night. No, the real problem is that United, for all their strengths, no longer have a midfield visionary. Michael Carrick is an excellent all round midfielder, but the demise of Paul Scholes has been the defining factor in United’s inability to retain the European Champions League. They have an abundance of scrappers in Anderson, Fletcher and Hargreaves (when fit) but noone with the majesty to make the difference at the very top level from the centre of the park.

Scholes’ season has been a painful sight for the United faithful as he has visibly aged, refused to shoot and hit more wayward passes than in his previous ten seasons combined. Fergie stuck with Scholes in many big games largely because he has noone else that can do that job. And because Sir Alex no longer has this visionary midfielder, all the forwards are dropping too deep to try and make that killer pass, so Berbatov, Rooney et al are often found in the wrong part of the pitch, playing as providers instead of finishers.

But Fabregas would change all that. If he was the centrepiece of the United midfield it would allow the strikers to remain in more dangerous areas of the pitch and therefore United would keep their shape when it mattered. He is one of the most intelligent footballers in the game, sees and executes the pass better than most, keeps the ball moving and scores goals. It’s impossible to know whether Fabregas is on Fergie’s radar but he would make the perfect summer signing for Manchester United. Above anyone else, it is Fabregas that Fergie should be looking at now. £35m of loose change from the Ronaldo deal should secure his services.