If our Double winning season has turned out a bit sour because of the saga, so do Real Madrid's.
telegraph
Cristiano Ronaldo's indecision keeps United and Real on edge
Bernd Schuster, the Real Madrid coach, says that his club are stuck in limbo as they wait for Cristiano Ronaldo to decide his future as his counterpart at United rebukes claims that footballers are little more than slaves.
The Spanish champions have courted the Manchester United midfielder all summer despite his club's insistence he is not for sale.
Ronaldo, 23, has done nothing to dispel the reports, and even suggested that it is his dream to play for Real. He has also refused to confirm where he will be playing next season.
However, Schuster is beginning to tire of the protracted saga and claims it is difficult to prepare for the coming season without knowing whether the Portugal winger will be joining his squad.
"As all the world knows, we are interested in signing a player like Ronaldo," he said. "But it seems as if he won't finish deciding, and all the rest depends on that. If this doesn't work out we have other alternatives, but everything depends on how it finishes with Cristiano Ronaldo."
Schuster's frustrations may very well be shared by Sir Alex Ferguson whose Manchester United side are also dependent on the midfielder's decision to retain realistic chances of repeating as League and European Cup winners.
Speaking after United's 2-1 Community Shield dress rehearsal win against Portsmouth in Nigeria last night, Ferguson also said that Fifa president Sepp Blatter's controversial claim that Cristiano Ronaldo is a "modern day slave" is extremely "unfortunate" for a man of his stature.
In his first reaction to the comments made three weeks ago, Ferguson said: "It was an unfortunate statement from someone in such a position - slavery was abolished many years ago."
Blatter's statement caused great outrage after he likened the Portugal international's drawn out transfer saga to that of a serf in feudal times.
However, as United strive to ward off constant overtures from Madrid for Ronaldo, Ferguson shared his different view on the debacle.
He said: ""These days footballers can earn five or six million pounds a year. I do not want to dignify this kind of statement with a response but when you consider the history of slavery, it was a very unfortunate statement."
Ronaldo is not expected to return to Manchester until next month as he continues his recovery from an ankle operation, recuperating in Los Angeles, which will keep him out of competitive action until October.