Ruud delighted as Real deal goes through

Ruud van Nistelrooy is over the moon with his move to Real Madrid. He described this as 'a dream come true'. Given the strained relationship with Alex Ferguson, this does not come as a surprise. Well, he can certainly smile now after all the doom and gloom of last season and the lacklustre World Cup.

Van Nistelrooy, speaking at a press conference, said: 'It's a great honour to stand here in the Bernabeu and it is a dream come true. Real Madrid is a great club; it's got history, the greatest players ever have played here, so it's a great honour on my side. 'I have to speak in English - I am sorry, I will try to learn Spanish as quickly as I can because this move means everything for me. 'I want to thank everybody for the confidence and the belief they have shown in me I will do everything in my ability to play well.'

Real is looking very strong for the new season with all these additions and it is disconcerting (to their opponents) to find out that more players could still be on the way there. Real president Ramon Calderon revealed that the squad building process has just started, 'During the electoral campaign the fans asked insistently that if we won the elections that we made a big effort to try to compliment the great squad we had with new players that could come and end this bad spell that we have had for the last three years.'

'Today I can say with pride that this board of directors is more satisfied than a week ago. Although I have also underlined that not all the work has been done and we are expecting other signings in the coming weeks.'

No fee was officially disclosed for Ruud's deal but it was believed to be in the region of 10-11 million pounds. Alex Ferguson must be desperate to let Ruud go, considering how Real has stood their ground and did not deviate much from their original bid while United make a weak attempt in benchmarking the deal to the price Chelsea paid for Shevchenko. It did not work and it was sad to see the richest club in the world (formerly) grabbing whatever is held in front of them.

Well, enough of the price issue as the deal is already cut and dried. The pertinent question now is whether the striking department is up to the challenge for the new season. As it is, they have Rooney, Saha, Solskjaer, Smith and Rossi (Scholes can also play behind the striker if needed). Things may not be as bad as they look if Rooney, Scholes and Solskjaer are kept free of injuries and in free-scoring mode.

However, age has caught up with both Scholes and Solskjaer, and they have lost much of their pace and stamina. The fact that Ferguson may prefer to beef up the midfield by deploying Solskjaer on the right and Scholes in the centre will further limit the options upfront. Hence there is little choice but for the other strikers to carry the burden together with Rooney.

Saha seems the best candidate to partner Rooney but given his performance (or lack of) in the World Cup, it is not an encouraging sign. As for Smith, how much he has improved since coming to Old Trafford is debatable but one thing is for sure, he has failed in his attempts to be Roy Keane's successor and in moving upfront to his traditional role, it is now time to show his worth. Soccer Pundit is sure that if he fails this time, the axe will fall. Finally, Rossi, the fourth striker which Alex has termed, he is still young and can be excused even if he is not scoring enough goals.

Meanwhile, Michael Carrick looks set to complete his protracted move to Manchester United from Tottenham after the clubs agreed a fee. Carrick has yet to agree personal terms with the Old Trafford outfit but should have a medical on Monday.

A club statement said: 'Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur can confirm that they have agreed terms for the transfer of the registration of Michael Carrick conditional upon the player agreeing personal terms with Manchester United. 'He shall also be required to pass a medical that will take place on Monday.'

Finally, a bit of uplifting news. The fee is not disclosed but Soccer Pundit believes the purchase of Carrick does not come cheaply. It is a bit baffling at times how United conduct their end of the business when they can sell some of their best players for average prices while paying the best prices for the average players.

Not that Carrick is average but he is by far the 'finished product' and would need time to develop into a world class player, that is if he develops at all. Given the failures of Liam Miller and Alan Smith who are both touted by Ferguson to be THE ONE, Soccer Pundit is keeping his fingers crossed on this one...