5 things noticed from Man Utd training ground picture celebrating Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo had a night to remember after scoring his 700th club goal in Manchester United’s 2-1 triumph over Everton on Sunday.

The 37-year-old scored on the stroke of half-time as the Red Devils came from behind to win their fifth Premier League match in a row. Erik ten Hag chose to start Ronaldo on the bench, but he was called upon in the 29th minute after Anthony Martial was forced off with a hip injury, allowing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner a chance to demonstrate why he should be in the starting XI.

He grabbed the chance with both hands, scoring his second goal of the season and the 700th of his club career. On Monday, the United squad honored the No. 7 with a photo of the attacker holding up a shirt with the number 700 on the back while surrounded by teammates at the club’s training field.

However, a couple of first-team players were missing from the picture, as United prepare to visit Omonia Nicosia on Thursday night, just a week after defeating the same opponents in Cyprus. So, with that in mind, here are five observations made by Mirror Football from the training ground photo.

The lack of Sancho

After starting United’s opening seven Premier League games, Sancho was benched for the trip to Merseyside due to a recent slump in form. The 22-year-old wasn’t at his best at the Etihad Stadium, and in United’s Europa League trip to Cyprus, Ten Hag decided to start Anthony Martial, putting Sancho on the bench.

Surprisingly, Sancho was not in the photo that United shared on their social media networks. It’s unclear why the former Borussia Dortmund star wasn’t in the picture, but he could have suffered an injury that forced him out of the United squad that faced Everton.

Antony is beaming.

What a start to life in Manchester Antony has had. With a beautiful finish at Goodison Park, the 22-year-old became the first United player to score in their first three Premier League appearances for the club, before putting in an all-around excellent display on the right wing.

He is already a firm fan favorite among the United faithful, and he appeared to be in a good mood when celebrating Ronaldo’s historic strike in the United squad photo. Antony sits immediately in front of the former Real Madrid great, his right arm on his right knee, and he appears to be enjoying his time at Old Trafford after joining from Ajax in the summer.

There was a fight.

Martial received another fright when he was substituted on the half-hour mark at Everton, a major blow for a player who has been plagued by injuries this season. The Frenchman had shown some promise in the Manchester derby, scoring twice off the bench and adding another goal at Omonia.

However, Martial’s injury may not be as serious as initially thought, since the 25-year-old was allowed to appear in Ronaldo’s celebratory photo. He was seen peaking above Anthony Elanga to the left of the snap, and while he didn’t appear to be happy to be there, it could be a good indicator that he was standing with his colleagues.

Jones does not exist.

Phil Jones, like Sancho, was not in the United squad photo after being completely locked out of the first-team image by Erik ten Hag. Last month, the injury-prone defender was ruthlessly thrown out of the Red Devils dressing room to make room for new recruits such as Antony, Casemiro, and Martin Dubravka.

Jones has recently been relegated to the Under-21s, where he will play alongside Brandon Williams, Teden Mengi, Axel Tuanzebe, and Shola Shoretire. This could explain why Jones was left out of Ronaldo’s celebratory photo, whilst Williams was included despite not having played for the senior team since pre-season.

Ronaldo is victorious.

Ronaldo has had an incredible career, and he undoubtedly deserves all of the accolades and praise he is receiving. The attacker began his career at Sporting Lisbon, where he created a name for himself by scoring five senior goals in 33 outings. That was enough for United to sign him at the age of 18 for around £12 million.

Ronaldo’s career took off from there, and he will be remembered as one of football’s greatest-ever players, having scored 144 goals for United, 450 for Real Madrid, and 101 for Juventus. He was the focus of the photo United published, appearing appropriately ecstatic about his tremendous achievement.