Long before the Portuguese was finally prised from his grasp by Real Madrid in an £80million deal, which was finalised yesterday, the United manager had picked out Lyon striker Karim Benzema as a potential star.

With Ronaldo gone, the need to recruit further world-class talent immediately became more acute at Old Trafford, and a tally of 54 goals in two seasons made a compelling case for the purchase of the 21-year-old French striker.

Last night's news that Benzema is poised to join the winger at the Bernabeu in a £30million switch was, therefore, a blow to United's hopes of a seamless transition from the Ronaldo era.

The £16million arrival of Antonio Valencia from Wigan is a start to the rebuilding process, although much more will be expected over the coming weeks.

With Benzema out of the equation, that means Ferguson must now scour the planet looking for alternatives to bring competition for Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov beyond young guns Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck.