Cristiano Ronaldo says he would love to play for Manchester United again, one day.

Lionel Messi has vaguely mentioned United as one of the very few clubs other than Barcelona whose shirt he would even remotely consider wearing, one day.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben, Thiago Silva, and Neymar are among those who have hinted that Old Trafford would be their preferred destination should they ever appear in the Premier League, one day.

The way the transfer mania is going it could happen for all of them, for just one day each.

VIDEO Scroll down for Ronaldo: Falcao and Di Maria excellent players for United

One day: With the current loan situation, it may soon reach the point where we see Cristiano Ronaldo back in a Manchester United shirt, but just for a single game

A Messi situation: Could it be that Lionel Messi would turn out for United at some point?

VIDEO 'Sensational' Premier League spending not slowing down

Now we have reached the scandalous point at which clubs the size of United are allowed to borrow leading players for a season or so, then why not for one match?

If Real Madrid have an easy game one weekend and a big lead in La Liga, why not pick up a few million quid to let Ronaldo pop over to Manchester for a key Premier League fixture?

Then, if United have a defender crisis on a vital Saturday, let’s give Silva a shed-load of dosh and a day return ticket on the Eurostar from Paris.

Sounds crazy? No more lunatic than the beg-and-lend lunacy upon which the transfer window has just closed.

As it happens, this is the logical progression into a madness which descended to its lowest ebb yet with Radamel Falcao going to Old Trafford on loan.

Falcao is touted as one of the best forwards in the world. Yet Monaco have leased him out to United like a hire car.

Given the gross amounts of money involved, this is little short of obscene.

It is not players and deals like this for which the loan system was invented.

The concept was for up-and-coming fringe players at big clubs to gain first team experience lower down the leagues, thereby helping the smaller clubs as well in the process.

It was not created so mega-clubs could gain temporary use of superstars.

Nor was it designed originally for the Chelseas of this world to sign as many of the best and most promising footballers they can get their hands on and then farm out a couple of dozen of them.

Enabling Chelsea to use some of their owner’s billions of roubles to exert as close a monopoly of the world’s top talent as they can muster was never the idea.

Seeking agreement that the borrowers do not field those loan players in matches against themselves perverts the integrity of the Premier League.

Everton have finally made an honest man of Romelu Lukaku.

But how could it have been right that he scored goals against Chelsea’s Premier League rivals while not permitted to play against the Blues themselves?

Grinners are winners: Bayern Munich duo Arjen Robben (left) and Bastian Schweinsteiger both admire United

Boys from Brazil: Neymar (left) and Thiago Silva have hinted they could play for United one day

That has been one of several similar contradictions which corrupt the flagship competition of the English game.

Driving the wrong way: Radamel Falcao was leased to Manchester United like a hire car

United have performed their Falcao trick in reverse by sending Tom Cleverley – an England midfielder, by the way – on loan to Aston Villa.

And can the Champions League consider itself immune?

Remember Chelsea kicking up a stink about their man Thibaut Courtois keeping goal against them for Atletico Madrid, then demanding money if he did so?

The excuse for all these convolutions is that they enable clubs to live under UEFA’s fair play wage cap, that this is nothing more than financial juggling.

The reality is that loans between major clubs threaten the ethos of the game we know and love.

Loyalty, of course, has long gone out of the transfer window. But now – albeit travelling in private jets - football’s supposed aristocrats are bartering like beggars in the streets with nobody much caring upon which money-grubbing corner they end up squatting.

For this mess to be cleared up it has to be a case of if you can’t afford to buy, you can’t sign the man.

To be clear, United and Chelsea are by no means alone in lawfully exploiting the regulations as they stands.

Out of Old Trafford: Tom Cleverley moved on loan from United to Aston Villa

They are pretty much all at it. Largely to the detriment of the young English player and our national team, by the way,.

If a stop is to be put to this unseemly haggling, laws need to be implemented which:

1) Prohibit player loans between Premier League clubs – and between clubs in the top divisiions of all countries in Europe;

2) Limit the number of players who can be registered by any club, be they on that club’s payroll or on loan elsewhere.

Sounds simple? Do not expect the Premier League, the FA or UEFA to initiate such action any time soon.

But, hopefully, as Monaco fans begin queuing to demand refunds on their season tickets because Falcao has been lent to Old Trafford, the economics of the game may force them to do so.

One day.

Sterling the bright spark (let's hope he doesn't burn out)

Raheem Sterling was the one bright spark against Norway in the first game of the post-Brazil World Cup era.

It is to be hoped that spark ignites a fire, not only in this young man but in the entire team in Switzerland on Monday night.

Sterling work: The England youngster wins the penalty against Norway on Wednesday night

Because nothing seems to have changed since the sorry retreat from Rio.

England still need to prove there is any point in them possessing so much of the ball.

And as for the hugely promising Sterling, if he fades again, the way he did in Brazil after that bright start against Italy, then England may even prove that it is possible not to qualify for a European Championship purpose-designed so that all the big-to-middling nations go through.

Heaven forbid.



