LET HIM GO!

A backdrop to this year's European Championships in Austria and Switzerland has been the 'will he stay, will he go?' saga surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo.

Following his phenomenal achievements in last season's double trophy winning Manchester United side - scoring 42 goals in all competitions - his stock could not have been higher and he along with his associates, it would appear, have decided to take advantage of the situation.

However, rather than confront the situation with his manager directly as any employer would expect, he has involved himself in this unseemly tug-of-war from afar and in the press.

This though is the modern world of football where nothing is so secure that it cannot be broken at a moment's notice.

It is a volatile environment where money is the key and supply and demand the rule.

Ronaldo is one year into his £110,000-a-week five year contract and United would rightly have assumed even in this modern world they would have got at least three years more out of him. But, when the Bernabeu calls, even the best deals are under threat as has proved many times in the past.

It is, probably, only Real Madrid who can threaten United on the profile front and maybe this is what annoys them more than anything else.

No football club is innocent in their transfer dealings using agents, other players and the press to destabilise potential targets from the comforts of their current contractual arrangements and United are no exception.

The two annual transfer windows only cements the environment of rumours and gossip as clubs now have six month strategies to lure their targets away and adopt more subtle ways of achieving it. Not so Real Madrid though, as they have no need to be so underhanded. Such is their status and aura that they need only to mention that they are interested to turn a player's head.

Once a target is in the public domain it is a tough choice about how to deal with it for the targeted club.

The moment they enter into any kind of discussion is to admit the approach is factual. However, to remain silent is a dangerous ploy as it suggests ambivalence to the player concerned. It is high stakes poker and only the clubs with the highest standings have any chance of winning.

Arsenal's wage structure almost rules them out of any negotiations as they are currently experiencing with Adebayor and they are likely to lose him if money is really an issue for him.

It is no surprise that after such a successful season Ronaldo would be a target for many of the top clubs but whether he is worth the £70 million that is being touted around is another matter entirely.

Ronaldo may see this as an opportunity to make the most of his popularity as it is impossible to be certain about the future.

So what are Ferguson and United to do? Give in and let the player go for an obscene amount of money and buy three world class players in return.

Keep up the fight in public and hope to win the battle of wills. Or, refuse the request and let him sit in the stands for the next four years to prove a point.

The last option, whilst attractive to many onlookers, will never happen especially when the club concerned has the debts it has.

The idea of continuing the fight seems more likely but as European Champions they risk humiliation should they lose and even the fact they have to fight for him almost ensures this anyway - in some quarters of football this has happened already.

No, the best and most likely scenario is they adopt the 'no one is bigger than the club' standpoint, let him make up his mind and if he decides to go, cash in, buy some replacements and prove him wrong in the following season.

This is the most dignified position to take and given Ronaldo's public posturing over the last month, the most appropriate also.

Editor's note: Should Cristiano Ronaldo stay or go? Vote today by visiting www.gulfweekly.com