United sign Antonio Valencia

Manchester United have cashed in on their sale of Cristiano Ronaldo by signing on Wigan's Antonio Valencia for an undisclosed fee.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been a long time admirer of the Ecuadorian forward who has signed a four year deal with the club.

This is Manchester United's first signing of the summer transfer break after they made a whooping 68mn pound profit on the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for world record transfer fees of 80mn pounds.

The fee is expected to be in the region of £18million and the legendary Scotsman has put his faith in the player and expects him to shine next season.

Sir Alex spoke to the official Manchester United website :

Antonio is a player we have admired for some time now, having spent the last two years in the Premier League with Wigan.

I am sure his pace and ability will make a significant contribution to the team.

Valencia was also excited to have the opportunity to play alongside quality players like Rooney,Ferdinand and Rooney and not to forget the prospect of playing at a venue which can host 76,000 fans.

What do the fans think of this signing?Would he be as impressive for Manchester United as Ronaldo had been over the years?Is this really the direct replacement for the Portuguese winger?