WOODWARD HAD A HAND IN RONALDO DEAL

SUPER agent Jorge Mendes was spotted in cordial conversation with Ed Woodward in the directors’ box at Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United homecoming on Saturday. Much has been made of the role others played in the striker’s return to Old Trafford, and both Rio Ferdinand and Sir Alex Ferguson were instrumental. Woodward, to his credit, had remained in dialogue with Mendes throughout the summer, although the view for long periods was that a departure from Juventus for Ronaldo was unlikely. When that changed, Woodward acted swiftly to ensure a deal was structured in a way that would ensure it would receive the green light from United’s owners, which it subsequently did.