Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't have re-signed this Cristiano Ronaldo as fan favourite example proves

Sir Alex Ferguson was the perfect manager for Manchester United.

He knew how to adapt his tactics to continue to be successful throughout his long tenure, he knew how to manage a dressing room full of personalities and he knew when to sell players at just the right time, both for financial and footballing reasons.

He was a progressive tactical mind well ahead of his time. For all those reasons, Ferguson would not have resigned Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ferguson the man, obviously played a big part in the return of Ronaldo to Old Trafford, but you could say this is a decision clouded by sentiment and nostalgia.

As a manager, he was renowned for his cold hard pragmatism, and in his latest column for The Telegraph, Jamie Carragher recounted a similar situation where Ferguson took a decision that was for the good of United as a whole rather than to cater to an individual.

He said: "No single player can ever be bigger than the club. And no one knew that better than Sir Alex Ferguson who, in 2006, sold one of the Premier League's most prolific goalscorers, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, because he felt the striker's personal hunger for goals was inhibiting the progress of younger emerging team-mates.

Who reaped the rewards? Ronaldo, who thrived when given the opportunity to take a leading role in a dynamic attack. As such, the desire to bring back one of Old Trafford's favourite sons remained strong ever since his departure to Real Madrid in 2009.

Patrice Evra claimed Ferguson was close to securing Ronaldo a second act in Manchester in 2013, but that was an entirely different version of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

"Just like Van Nistelrooy 16 years ago, Ronaldo's goal sprees have the capacity to make anyone deemed critical seem foolish,"