UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MANCHESTER UNITED V VILLAREAL:STRAP A polygraph to Cristiano Ronaldo and ask him if it is true, as every Manchester United fan suspects, that he would rather be playing for Real Madrid and it is inconceivable to imagine him denying it without the needle picking up speed.
It is hardly a secret - even Alex Ferguson admitted yesterday that he thought the same - and that makes it intriguing to see how the crowd will react when Ronaldo's attempt to make them "love me again" begins at Old Trafford.
Fit again to face Villarreal, Ronaldo may come to learn that a large proportion of United's supporters will never love him like they once did, even if Ferguson blindly insisted last night that the fans had "no issues with Cristiano".
Ferguson was clearly unaware of the poll on one supporters' website that has 40 per cent of fans admitting they "dislike him (Ronaldo) more" as a result of his summer-long attempt to force a transfer to Madrid. There has been little affection expressed for Ronaldo in the club's three established fanzines either, one describing him as "a child we've sent to the naughty step".
Ferguson is confident the crowd will be in a forgiving mood after a disappointing start to the season that has emphasised Ronaldo's importance to the team.
"I think they (the supporters) understand that he's a young man and that he's been tempted by the lure of money," Ferguson said.
"But since we gave him a decision he's accepted it well. He's shown fantastic maturity in the last few weeks, accepting the situation and getting on with it.
"Everyone knows he said that he'd like to go to Real Madrid. But when I had a meeting with him about it, that was it finished. He understood my position and the club's position and he's got on with it. He's accepted it, been professional and there hasn't been one problem since. There's been no pettiness, no throwing toys out of the pram. His training has been absolutely fantastic. He's probably been one of the best patients I've ever seen. Every day, until 5pm, he's shown a real determination (to get fit), which is a credit to him and the physios. They (the physios) have done a great job but he's been a fantastic patient."
Ferguson's choice of words does not remove the underlying suspicion that, if Ronaldo had his way, he would not be playing any part in United's defence of the Champions League trophy.
Yet this is undoubtedly a good time for Ronaldo to return to the team and it is clear, too, that some of the resentment has made way while he has been out with an ankle injury, his absence coinciding with United taking only four points from their first three Premier League games and being described by Ferguson as playing "like a Conference side" in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.
Ferguson expects a stronger performance tonight against a Villarreal side that will include Robert Pires, formerly of Arsenal, but will be missing Giuseppe Rossi, the former United player.
"I don't think the players should be shocked by what I said," Ferguson reflected.
"It was a bad team performance and, in most cases, the players know when they have had a bad day. We didn't compete with Liverpool's tackling and they forged a victory out of winning the ball."
United were held to two scoreless draws when they met Villarreal at this stage of the competition in 2005, but the Spaniards are not quite the side which reached the semi-finals in 2006 and this, in theory, should be a routine evening for Ronaldo to return.
"He'll certainly be involved," Ferguson promised. "Whether or not we start him is a major decision but it's probably more likely he will start on the bench."
Venue:Old Trafford Kick-off:7.45 On TV:Sky Sports 2
- Guardian Service
