Sir Alex Ferguson bade farewell to Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday - and then saw one of the men earmarked to make up for his departure from Manchester United disappear over the horizon.
Long before the Portuguese was finally prised from his grasp by Real Madrid in an £80million deal, 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.
Wednesday 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.
He must also try not just to fill the void left by Ronaldo's exit, but also that of Carlos Tevez, plus the impending retirements of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville.
Yesterday, however, Ferguson was happy to pay tribute to Ronaldo, who cost just £12million six seasons ago before going on to be voted FIFA's World Player of the Year for 2008.
"Cristiano has been a marvellous player for Manchester United," said Ferguson.
"His six years at Old Trafford have seen him develop into the best footballer in the world.
"His contribution has been a major factor in the club's success in that time and his talent, his ability to entertain and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over. Everyone here wishes him well in his future career."
The words emphasise the high regard Ferguson has for Ronaldo and acknowledge the awesome contribution he has made, particularly over the last three seasons which have all brought a Premier League title and the minimum of an appearance in the Champions League semi-finals.
Long before the Portuguese was finally prised from his grasp by Real Madrid in an £80million deal, 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.
Wednesday 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.
He must also try not just to fill the void left by Ronaldo's exit, but also that of Carlos Tevez, plus the impending retirements of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville.
Yesterday, however, Ferguson was happy to pay tribute to Ronaldo, who cost just £12million six seasons ago before going on to be voted FIFA's World Player of the Year for 2008.
"Cristiano has been a marvellous player for Manchester United," said Ferguson.
"His six years at Old Trafford have seen him develop into the best footballer in the world.
"His contribution has been a major factor in the club's success in that time and his talent, his ability to entertain and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over. Everyone here wishes him well in his future career."
The words emphasise the high regard Ferguson has for Ronaldo and acknowledge the awesome contribution he has made, particularly over the last three seasons which have all brought a Premier League title and the minimum of an appearance in the Champions League semi-finals.
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