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THE KEY MEN IN RONALDO DEAL

Ed Woodward is said to have operated swiftly to secure one of his four historic ‘fantasy signings’ after a message from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Manchester United executive used the positive relationship he forged with Juventus counterpart Andrea Agnelli to help negotiate the deal.

Jorge Mendes was also typically key, with Miguel Delaney of The Independent reporting that ‘some in Italy believe that Mendes has basically just “created a market”, as well as a sense of urgency’ by using Manchester City’s interest to coax out United.

He quotes a source as saying the deal is “a gift from the Glazers to the fans,” a claim which is corroborated by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

He wrote: “The attraction for United’s owners, the Glazer family, was Ronaldo would be the seismic signing to get supporters back onside amid mounting dissatisfaction with the state of the squad. The Super League treachery also still rankled for fans.”