Ralf Rangnick's Cristiano Ronaldo stance shows Manchester United consultancy credentials

Romance in football is a fleeting thing. Some may say it's dead. That's not quite the case but when romance comes face to face with cold, hard reality it almost always ends up face down in a ditch.

The latest such example of a great football romance coming to a heartbreaking end came on Sunday as Marcelo Bielsa left his post as Leeds United manager after three and half years. Where countless others had failed, Bielsa succeeded in revitalising a toppled giant of a football club and restored a city's love for its club.

The Argentine returned Leeds to the Premier League after a 16-year exile and kept them there but the chances of him being able to do that for a second season looked increasingly slim. Without several key players due to injury and a steadfast refusal to change his ways, Leeds took the action that everyone at the club knew had to happen but yet still did not want it to.

ALSO READ: Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has doubts about Cristiano Ronaldo

Romance isn't dead. If it was, a coach as revered as Bielsa would not have rocked up at Leeds and he would not have had the success he has. But it can't last long in a cut-throat business when so much is on the line.

Romance isn't dead. If it was, Manchester United fans wouldn't have been able to witness the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. Their hero who departed 12 years prior and went on to become even more of a phenomenon came back to Old Trafford last summer and many rejoiced. But this love story doesn't look like it'll have a happy ending, either.

Ronaldo had a great impact during the first few months of his England comeback, scoring 14 goals in his first 20 appearances. United would not have made it out of their Champions League group if it wasn't for his