Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster is concerned that his club's obsession with signing Cristiano Ronaldo could cause them to miss out on buying other players.
"As you all know at this club we have been obsessed with signing a player whose name I can't quite remember at the moment," Schuster told reporters at the club's pre-season training base in Austria on Saturday.
"When you start something like this you know that if you don't sort it out quickly then it might be too late to sign another player.
"We have had plans in place for several months ready for any movement, for any solution, but the truth is that as time passes you are running the risk that Plan B might have become a little difficult."
Although he said Ronaldo would fit perfectly into the Real Madrid squad, Schuster admitted that he understood manager Alex Ferguson's reluctance to let the Portugal winger leave Manchester United.
"They tell me he is a team player and he has proved that at Manchester.... I don't think he would have any problems in adapting to play with us.
"I'm absolutely certain that if I was in his (Ferguson's) position I would do exactly the same. I wouldn't like anyone to take a player like him from me even if I had won the league and the Champions League.
"He is the sort of player that no one wants to lose and for me the way in which the Manchester United manager is defending himself is perfect."
When asked if the club's alternative plans involved Valencia's Spanish international striker David Villa, Schuster replied: "I don't want to give any names.... All I can say is that they are attacking players."
