An air of panic seems to be setting in over Old Trafford now that the World Cup has ended and the mad season of transfers is upon us. Losing Ruud Van Nistelrooy is an expected blow after the fallouts he had last season with Cristiano Ronaldo and the management and Bayern Munich now look like being the most likely destination for the free scoring Dutchman.

To add a little spice to that mix, Cristiano Ronaldo has now made it clear that he is unwilling to return to Old Trafford after his antics in Germany helped get Wayne Rooney sent off and put England out of the World Cup. We can only wonder what kind of reception the poor little fella has had visions of in his nightmares as he thinks about coming back to play in England next year. Spain looks to be the most likely next stop for Ronaldo with Capello’s new regime at Real Madrid the favourites for his signature.

Even more worrying still for Alex Ferguson and the Glazers is the news today that Gabriel Heinze is one of the seven names on a transfer target list held by Ramon Calderon, the new Real Madrid president and with Fabio Capello a big admirer of the tough, uncompromising Argentinian, it would be no surprise again to see one of Ferguson’s defensive mainstays jump ship to the new Galactico regime at the Bernabeu.

Where that all leaves Manchester United’s transfer plans is quite obvious. Up sh*t creek without the proverbial paddle being closest description. Michael Carrick’s move from Tottenham seems to have stalled, Didier Zokora chose Spurs over United and Chelsea and suddenly the available options for United get smaller by the day.

We’ve heard of rumours from Milan about Gattuso and Pirlo coming to Manchester United if AC Milan are forced into Serie B but with the open chequebook of Real Madrid can Ferguson honestly think he’ll be able to snap these players up without a fight? And what about replacing the players above who look certain to leave? A top striker, a creative winger and a no-nonsense defender don’t exactly grow on trees and certainly they don’t come cheap.

I wouldn’t fancy being in Alex Ferguson’s shoes over the next month or so, he’s got a hell of a job on his hands one way or the other in persuading Ronaldo and Heinze to stay or in replacing them and the Glazers will have to dig deep into that fortune of theirs if they don’t want next season to become an unmitigated disaster.

In the world of European club football there are few men who could honestly say they stand shoulder to shoulder with two of the most successful club managers in the game: Sir Alex Ferguson and Marcello Lippi.

As managers of Manchester United and Juventus respectively they swept all before them including leading their clubs to Champion’s League glory on the back of multiple domestic league titles. As club managers these two are virtually inseperable with regards achievements and the respect they are held in by those in the game. Lippi’s only claim to greatness over Ferguson is that he has now lead Italy to the World Cup Final and could yet get his hands on that most hallowed of golden trophies. Not having been in the same situation, we can’t hold this against Alex Ferguson.

If these two are the greatest club football managers on the planet then can someone explain to me just why the one who’s star is still in the ascendency (i.e. Lippi) would even consider going to Old Trafford and taking a job as Alex Ferguson’s assistant? The story just doesn’t add up for me. I can understand that he may want to succeed Alex when he finally retires (or falls down whichever comes first, I vote for falls down) but why would the most highly rated fotball manager in the world, at his peak, accept a couple of years under Ferguson’s control when he would be just as able to walk into the job from a position of power whenever Fergie does go? I just don’t get it.

On the other hand, why would a strong, proud man like Alex Ferguson want that most dangerous of assistants just sitting there and waiting for him to go, knowing all the time that the board and the players would be looking to Lippi as the man of the future and maybe not the so dim and distant future either. Ferguson’s position could go from one of power to one of sitting duck in a matter of months, if not weeks and why would he want to put himself through that strain and pressure on top of an already highly pressured job?

Something just doesn’t equate in this whole scenario, for either man, and if the noises are true that Lippi was willing to go to Old Trafford with the promise of succeeding Ferguson, would we be too surprised to hear that the Scotsman put the veto on the move, if only to give himself one more year without looking over his shoulder and fearing the enemy within?

In my last article I commented that the transfer rumour mill was in full swing, and sure enough this morning there?s already another big rumour. This time it seems Cristiano Ronaldo could be heading out of the exit door, on his way to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The transfer is by no means a certainty though, mainly because it would hinge on the results of the upcoming presidential elections at Madrid on Sunday. It seems Ronaldo has become the main target of 74-year-old presidential hopeful Juan Miguel Villar Mir, who said at a recent press conference:

?Manchester United know that we are talking with him. We have gone in ‘through the front door??.

Certainly this was news to a lot of people, seeing as there have been no other reports of a formal bid from Real, and nor can there be until Sunday, since Mr. Villar Mir holds no power at the club currently. Naturally, United were quick to try and quash such rumours, releasing a statement which read:

?Manchester United are astonished with Juan Miguel Villar Mir’s comments. There has been no contact between Manchester United and his election team or Real Madrid, and any suggestion there has been is incorrect. Unfortunately these tactics seem to be a common occurrence in elections of this nature.?

The Real Madrid-favouring Spanish newspaper Marca has added fuel to the fire, reporting that Ronaldo told them:

?I have told my agent that I would like to leave. I want to do so in the best way possible. I want to play for Madrid and I dream about it. Villar Mir has promised me he will talk to the club and all we have done is talk through an agent. They have explained to me their plans and the next step is they will talk to Manchester United to open negotiations. Villar Mir’s project is serious and follows correct procedures.?

Personally, I always treat Marca?s reports with a pinch of salt, they?ve been wrong about things like this before, but this feels like one of those ?there?s no smoke without fire? sort of stories and it wouldn?t surprise me if United receive a formal offer from Madrid come Monday, provided Villar Mar wins the election the previous day. Even if he doesn?t there is still a chance Ronaldo could go, his attacking flair would certainly fit in with the philosophy at Real and he has age on his side, which is important as the club look the revamp it?s ageing squad.

The question is, would Fergie let him go? It would seem unlikely as he always mentions Ronaldo (along with Rooney, Rossi and, erm…Fletcher) when he talks of the players who will be the future of this club and as the winger is under contract for another four years he?ll be under no pressure to sell. Yet there remains a lingering feeling that Fergie could be tempted, particularly if the club receive an offer of substantially more than the ?12m they originally paid Sporting Lisbon to procure the youngsters services.

For all Ronaldo?s undoubted potential he is yet to achieve the consistency that marks out a truly great player from a merely decent one and he continues to infuriate fans and team-mates alike with his often needless tricks and the erratic quality of his shooting and crossing. Added to this are question marks over his temperament, and with all these problems Fergie could be forgiven for being tempted by a big-money offer, particularly when it seems as though Ronaldo himself has his heart set on Real.

However I think it would be a great shame if Ronaldo were to leave, as he seems to be improving with every season and has the potential to be one of the best players in the world. Despite his inconsistency and his deficiencies he?s still one of the best players we have at the club. Catching Chelsea won?t be an easy task and certainly won?t be helped if we sell our top players. Still, it seems like this saga will run and run and I?m sure I won?t be the only one keeping an eye on Real?s presidential elections this coming Sunday.

With the World Cup edging towards its latter stages the transfer rumour mill appears to be in full swing. As usual, we?re being linked with practically every defensive midfielder in Europe ? Petit, Carrick, Duscher, Mascherano, Diarra, Senna and Muntari, to name a few ? but with the likely exit of Ruud van Nistelrooy, rumours abound that a top-class striker could soon be arriving. Werder Bremen?s Miroslav Klose has recently been linked, but there is one name that?s been linked with us for a while now and the rumours refuse to go away. That name is Fernando Torres.

According to the BBC Sport website, Manchester United are very close to tying up a ?20m deal for the Atletico Madrid frontman. Undoubtedly, this signing, should it go through (and it must be stressed that the deal is far from sealed) would go some way to easing the pain of the prolific van Nistelrooy?s almost-inevitable exit, but I must confess that I?m still to be convinced that Torres is a ?20m player. In Spain he is a player who divides opinion ? for some his is Spain?s best striker, quick, strong and a great finisher, but for others he is over-hyped and inconsistent. His tally of 13 league goals for perennial underachievers Atletico last year is a respectable amount, and at 22 there is still plenty time for him to improve as a player, but more worrying is the stat that he was guilty of giving the ball away 396 times in the season just gone, more than any other player in La Liga.

Obviously a forward?s job, first and foremost, is to score goals but it is worrying to imagine move after move breaking down at Torres? feet. Still, despite my reservations I?ve been impressed with Torres in the World Cup so far and if we do lose van Nistelrooy then Torres would certainly be an adequate replacement and would add more pace and directness to our forward line, which can only be a good thing. Still, we?ll have to wait and see what develops but this particular rumour appears to have more than a ring of truth to it compared to some that I?ve heard lately. All I hope is that our spending doesn?t end with Torres and that we can begin to improve the midfield, because right now that?s the area in which we are truly lacking.

AC Milan are reportedly eyeing up Manchester United’s wantaway striker Ruud Van Nistlerooy as a replacement for Chelsea bound striker Andriy Shevchenko.

Shevchenko told the Milanese giants this week that he wouldn’t be signing a contract extension with them and is now set for an English transfer record busting ?35m move to English Premiership champions Chelsea.

Milan have been keeping an eye on Van Nistlerooy for quite a while but following his well publicised bust ups with Sir Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo recently, they seem ready to make an official move to add the Dutchman to their striking options for next season.

Van Nistelrooy could be available for as little as ?8m now that Manchester United seem certain to offload him and it would be a fantastic piece of business for AC Milan to sell one 29 year old striker for ?35m and get him replacement in for less than a quarter of that. Chelsea had also been interested in Van Nistelrooy but the potential Shevchenko move now opens the way for a transfer to Serie A for the wantaway Manchester United star.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Wayne Rooney to not push himself too hard in the build up to the World Cup or else face ruining his chances of taking part completely.

Rooney has been given permission by Manchester United to travel with the England squad when they leave for Germany on June 5th despite not knowing whether he will be able to take any part in proceedings until after another scan on his broken foot on June 14th.

Alex Ferguson spoke to MUTV:

“We do not just look at this from the medical point of view. Wayne has to take care of himself too. He has to look after himself by ensuring he is getting the proper rest and is wearing his orthopaedic boot at the right time, particularly in training.”

Comments by Ferguson’s old boot kicking friend David Beckham about Wayne Rooney strutting his funky stuff on the dance floor at a party at the Beckham’s house last weekend will have done nothing to calm the fears for Rooney’s fitness from Ferguson or Manchester United who, while having a mild interest in the World Cup, will need their star man ready for an assault on Chelsea’s Premiership stranglehold come August.

David Fox is the new writer of In The Red Corner, our Manchester United guest column

Well, well, for a moment there we had a title race didn?t we? For a few brief days we were allowed to believe that maybe, just maybe, we could win the title. After all, we were in great form, Chelsea weren?t playing that well and our first fixture of the Easter program was against all-but-relegated Sunderland at home. We were bound to win that, right? Right? Wrong. Somehow we scraped a point against one of the worst sides in Premiership history, and that signalled the end. The players knew it when the ref blew his whistle in that game, and we?ve no one to blame but ourselves. Of course, as I write this, the title is still not Chelsea?s, but now it is merely a matter of when and not if.

So now, with little left to play for but 2nd place, I find myself thinking that maybe its better in the long run that we fell short again. Had we somehow sneaked a title win it would have served only to mask our many deficiencies and maybe persuaded Fergie not to make any big changes for next year, when anyone can see some are needed. I mean, can we seriously expect to win the title with John O?Shea ? a player who makes otherwise sane men long for the halcyon days of Phil Neville ? as our midfield lynchpin?

As good a job as Ryan Giggs has done in the middle, we need to be able to compete with Chelsea, who will have Makelele, Essien, Lampard and very probably Michael Ballack to call on in central midfield next year. By comparison, whom do we have? An ageing Paul Scholes, an out-of-position Ryan Giggs, John O?Shea and Darren Fletcher?its not a list that exactly strikes fear into opposing managers hearts, is it? This position seems to be the only one where we seem particularly weak, yet it?s hugely important. Van der Sar is a safe enough pair of hands, we have a bevy of solid defenders these days (Mikael Silvestre excepted), Ronaldo and Park Ji-Sung are always busy and threatening, and our strikers look as if they?ll score plenty of goals?and yet, against the better sides in the Premiership we?ll end up falling short because we?ll lose the vital midfield battle.

Do we have a Fabregas, a Lampard, a Gerrard or a Carrick? The other sides in the top four all have one or more central midfielders who you feel can change a game and produce something from nothing, whereas we have John O?Shea. Likewise, the other sides have a midfield enforcer of the highest calibre, like Makelele or Sissoko, whereas we have John O?Shea (can you sense a pattern emerging here?).

All the signs are that Ferguson will have a decent amount of cash to play with this summer, and I just hope he spends it wisely. We?re being linked with Argentinean hard man Aldo Duscher, a player who I?ve not seen enough of to comment on, but at least it shows Fergie is going after the right type of player. Personally, I?d like to see us get Lyon?s Mohammadou Diarra or, for a cheaper option, Fulham?s Papa Bouba Diop (a very underrated player, in my opinion).

As for that other midfield berth, we?ve been linked with Villareal?s excellent Juan Roman Riquelme, and you won?t hear me complaining if we get him, expensive though he?ll doubtless be. Though regardless of whom we do or do not buy, I?d like to think that we?ll be challenging for the title again next year, along with Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and who knows, maybe even Spurs. It?ll be nice to have a really exciting title race as opposed to the procession behind Chelsea we have now ? even Mourinho agrees.

On the back of Malcolm Glazer’s gaffe to reporters when he called Manchester United “a great franchise”, United finance director Nick Humby has spoken out in support of the club’s average 12.3% increase in season ticket prices for next season.

Despite the price of tickets at Old Trafford rising to between ?23 and ?38, Humby has said that United as a club (or franchise) still believe that their tickets offer the best value in the Premiership.

With London clubs like Chelsea and Tottenham charging up to ?70 for their top priced tickets, Manchester United find themselves sitting around mid-table in the ticket price Premiership league.

“We do not know what most of our rivals will charge next year, but even a price freeze across the rest of the Premiership would mean that next year only seven clubs will have a cheaper ticket than ?23 and nine clubs will have a top price over ?39 - in some cases almost double,” said Humby.

With Old Trafford recording it’s highest ever league attendance against Arsenal at the weekend and in line to reach a capacity of around 76,000 for next season, it looks like being another bumper year at the turnstiles for the Glazer family.

The Football Association have fined Manchester United skipper Gary Neville ?5000 and warned him about his future conduct following his enthusiastic goal celebrations after United’s late winner against Liverpool in the Premiership last month.

Neville appeared at the FA disciplinary hearing via video link and was found guilty of improper conduct but wasn’t suspended and finds himself now free to captain Manchester United in the Carling Cup final against Wigan at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday.

The FA verdict did come as a disappoinment to United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who had felt that Gary Neville had done very little wrong despite the player racing 50 yards towards Liverpool fans at Old Trafford before clutching his shirt and kissing the United badge after Rio Ferdinand’s late headed goal.

His conduct has since been defended by both Rio Ferdinand and Alex Ferguson, who said: “Too much has been made of it.”

“What do we want our players to be? Cold fish who just walk back up the park and tie their boot laces on the half-way line, as everyone else is celebrating?”

Neville himself has expressed his own disappointment at the decision telling manutd.com,

“I am extremely disappointed with the decision, I believe it to be a poor decision, not only for me but for all footballers. Being a robot devoid of passion and spirit is obviously the way forward for the modern footballer. I ask the authorities where is football being taken to?”

Sir Alex Ferguson has denied that Manchester Untied have any imminent interest in signing 16 year old United States wonderkid Freddy Adu.

After making his full international debut for the USA in January 2006, Adu’s agent Richard Motzkin had claimed that both Chelsea and Manchester United had held “friendly talks” with him regarding the purchase of Adu but Ferguson has moved to quash the rumours saying “We are not interested in Freddy Adu. We have watched him as a youngster, but there is no interest in signing him at the moment.”

Motzkin’s comments were prompted by reports in the media that English Premiership champions Chelsea were close to securing a deal for the Ghanaian-born forward who burst onto the footbal scene in the United States at the tender age of 14.

As with any US based player, any transfer deal would then have to be negotiated between the player’s representatives and Major League Soccer who hold the players’ registrations in the US.