Manchester United have been doing all they can recently to draw attention to their actions on the pitch. They have been victorious in the Club World Cup final, defeating Liga de Quito thanks to an impressive performance from Wayne Rooney, and have also kept their Premier League bid firmly on course.

However, as interesting as this on-pitch action may be, the eyes of the global media have been firmly set on matters unfolding away from the pitch. Unsurprisingly, these matters have recently been revolving around Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid.

Pedro Trapote, the director of the Spanish club, apparently revealed that the two clubs had reached an agreement over the player, with Ronaldo set to move to Spain in the near future.

This claim angered the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, to such an extent that he branded the officials at Real Madrid a “mob” and even resorted to some comical blasphemy when he exclaimed: “Jesus Christ! I wouldn’t sell them a virus”.

Ronaldo has tried to play down this recent speculation by stating that he is very happy at the club but rumours remain that the talented footballer is set for an imminent move to Spain.

Manchester United believe that Gabriel Heinze, who previously played for the club but decided to make the move to Real Madrid, has been vocal in his support for the potential move.

Heinze and Ronaldo are close friends but Ferguson believes that the club just has to “ignore” the situation and stop worrying about what may or may not happen. He finished by stating that the club is aware of “their game" and it will not affect them.