“Ronaldo is a very talented player, but George was absolutely fantastic. It is hard to imagine what sort of fee he would command if he was playing today. It would probably take more than £100m to get him, he was that good. It’s difficult to compare them, but George was better. If Ronaldo can maintain the standard he has set for the last few seasons over the next few years then he might be able to be compared to George, but he’s not there yet.”

“With the economic climate the way it is at the moment, it’s absolutely crazy to spend that kind of money. Coming so soon after they spent £59m on Kaka, it is astonishing the kind of money they are spending. I find it difficult to comprehend that amount of money, especially so with the financial crisis at the moment. It’s hard to imagine how any club can afford that kind of spending.”

“If he makes a difference to the team, then I guess Real Madrid won’t care how much they paid for him. If they are willing to pay that sort of money, then that’s up to them. It is an incredibly high fee, but he is an extremely good player. If he makes the team better, he will be worth the money.”

Denis tror videre at Sir Alex har full kontroll på at laget vil bli bedre også uten Ronaldo, og at Rooney er en langt viktigere brikke enn det Ronaldo var.

“Sir Alex has shown in the past that he is expert at dealing with big players leaving. It’s very difficult for him in this day and age to refuse that kind of money; it was almost impossible to reject. In the past we have seen the likes of David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy leave, and if anything, the team has got better and better. I’m sure the same will happen again now because he is the best manager in the world and will carry on building the team.

“I actually think Sir Alex would rather lose Ronaldo than Wayne Rooney. Rooney can be just as devastating going forward as Ronaldo, but he is much more of a team player.”

John Fitzpatrick, som var med på å vinne Europacupen i 1968, sa seg enig med The King of Stretford End.

“It’s staggering to think what Bestie would be worth in today’s prices. The nearest thing I’ve seen to him was Pele. Bestie was just a magician and if he was playing today, any fee would outstrip any other.”

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Les mer om Denis Law

• Manchester Evening News
• Wikipedia