Manchester United respond to Sepp Blatter's 'slavery' claims

Manchester United have reacted to Sepp Blatter's controversial comments regarding the potential transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

The FIFA chief claimed that Ronaldo should be allowed to move to the Spanish side if he wanted to, and went on to decry football as a form of "modern slavery".

A Manchester United spokesperson said: "All our players - like at other clubs - enter into their contracts after an open and free negotiation.

"Most of whom do after taking advice from a FIFA-registered agent.

"Many do so on a number of occasions and enjoy long and successful stays at Old Trafford."

UEFA, meanwhile, have attempted to take the heat out of the debate by focusing on the increasing influence of player power in the wake of the Bosman ruling, and slamming the spiralling wages paid to top stars.

Communications director William Gaillard, who also serves as special advisor to UEFA president Michel Platini, told Sky Sports News: "It would be useful to remind people that slaves in all of the slavery systems never earned a wage."

"It seems that both clubs and players are trying to negotiate an exit before the player is free.

"It is a consequence of the Bosman ruling - there is nothing we can do about that.

"It is obvious that today players have a lot more power than they did 20 years ago, undoubtedly, and agents have a lot more power than they did 20 years ago.

"It is true that salaries are spiralling out of control. Many clubs have pointed that out."

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