The biggest transfer saga of the summer, and probably the decade, has finally come to a close - Cristiano Ronaldo has pledged his future to Manchester United. Well, I say he's pledged his future to the club. In actual fact he's pledged ONE SEASON to them. Break out the party hats and streamers!

When Ronaldo came out at the end of last season and first refused to commit himself to United, the rumours started up. When he then came out and said his heart was in Madrid, United fans feared the worst. And, as the weeks went by during Euro 2008, Ronaldo's silence was deafening. It seemed the writing was on the wall.

But all of that changed the moment one man got involved. After months of speculation, all it took was one visit from Sir Alex Ferguson and suddenly the rumours stop - the Portuguese winker comes out publicly and says he's staying.

However, it was the words Ronaldo used that gave one big clue as to exactly what was said during that meeting between the two. Ronaldo told the world: ''Yes, I'm going to stay at Manchester United. I will stay for at least this season. Ferguson heard my reasons, I heard his, and we had an agreement that the best solution for both parties would be if I stay.''

Does anyone else think Fergie's ''reasons'' had anything to do with his retirement in the not-too-distant future? I'm guessing he told Ron something along the lines of:

''Listen son, I'm leaving the club in a couple of years. But while I'm still here, you're not going anywhere. So here's what we'll do: You stay for two years and help us both to win a couple more Champions League trophies. Let's face it, you've got a better chance of doing that with me than you have at Madrid - they didn't even make the quarter-finals last year. They got beat by Roma - and we put seven past that shower of sh*te! After two more years, we'll both be legends and then, when I call it a day, I'll guarantee you your move to Madrid. You're still a young lad so you won't be hitting your peak for a couple of years anyway. Sound fair?''

When you put it like that then yes, it sounds more than fair. So Fergie gets to go out on a high, Ronaldo is guaranteed his dream move to Spain - and more than likely wins a shedload more silverware in the meantime. Everyone's happy.

The Old Trafford gaffer has a reputation for making big decisions to offload players when he thought it was for the good of the club - just ask Mark Hughes, Paul Ince, Jaap Stam, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy to mention but a few. But this time he's making his biggest decision of the lot by KEEPING a player for the good of the club. You can't fault his logic.

Of course, two big questions remain: Will Ronaldo's heart still be in it while playing in a red shirt? And how will the fans treat a man who wants nothing more than to be playing for someone else?

I can't see the first one being a problem. Ronaldo has never made a secret of his desire to play for Real Madrid - even when he signed for United all those years ago. It hasn't stopped him wanting to improve every aspect of his game so far, and I don't see that changing now.

While committing his immediate future to the Red Devils, he said: ''I'll play for Manchester United with my heart and soul. I will fight and honour that shirt with all the commitment and dedication I've always had.'' Now, say what you want about how he's led everyone a merry dance this summer, but one thing he has been all along is honest.

I know it sounds strange to say that about a man known the world over for his diving on the pitch, but it's true. No matter what you think of his desire to play for Madrid, he clearly has a lot of friends and colleagues he'd only be letting down by not trying his hardest at Old Trafford again this season. And don't forget, Real Madrid only want him because he's the best in the world. If he had two years of being average then they might think again, so it's in his best interests to keep on top of his game.

As for the fans, well, I suppose it's up to them whether they support him or not. At the end of the day, he's the best player in the world and, now that we all know he's staying, it's in the best interests of the Manchester United to get behind him so he can help bring more trophies to the club. While I can't see too many chants of ''Viva Ronaldo'' ringing around Old Trafford in the coming season, I also can't see anything but a very small minority of supporters who will go so far as to actually boo him.

For me, the real shame of all this is that it has taken the shine off what should have been a wonderful summer of celebration for United fans after last season's incredible achievements of winning the Premier League and Champions League double.

At least it's all over now and we can really start looking forward to the new season in earnest. Even if we have got half a team missing through injury and illness!