Man United FC

Cristiano Ronaldo angered Man Utd squad before derby as Erik ten Hag set to make big mistake

Cristiano Ronaldo may be set to return to Manchester United's starting XI in the Premier League ahead of the Manchester derby, but it wasn't always this way.

 

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Cristiano Ronaldo did not play the previous time Manchester United faced Manchester City.

The 37-year-old did not travel to the Etihad Stadium in March, which raised concerns given that he was United’s leading goalscorer at the time. Ronaldo was hurt, according to Ralf Rangnick, but other reports indicated he was completely dismissed from the Red Devils’ squad.

United was out of form heading into the match against the reigning Premier League winners, having previously drawn Atletico Madrid and Watford. They needed a win to rekindle their campaign, but suspicions were raised when Ronaldo was missing from the Red Devils’ 18-man squad.

When asked about it before the game on March 6, Rangnick replied, “Cristiano had some hip troubles on Friday and hasn’t played since.” Nobody believed that explanation, given that there had been speculation about Ronaldo’s future earlier in the week, and he rarely misses games due to minor injuries.

According to The Sun, United squadmates were stunned by the absence of the former Real Madrid and Juventus player. Some others were also upset that Ronaldo didn’t show up to offer his support for the rest of his teammates.

Roy Keane, who was commentating for Sky Sports on the day, also questioned if Ronaldo was truly injured. “We speak about Ronaldo being a machine and never getting hurt… that doesn’t makeup to me,” he remarked.

The Red Devils were defeated 4-1, with Kevin de Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez scoring braces for City, while Jadon Sancho scored United’s solitary goal. Pep Guardiola’s team put up a ruthless effort, and they were outstanding on the day.

In contrast, United was dismal throughout the season, winning just one of their final five league games and finishing with their lowest ever Premier League points record. They only managed 58 points from 38 games, just making them into the Europa League ahead of West Ham United.

Despite United’s poor form, Ronaldo finished with 24 goals in 38 appearances, placing him third in the Premier League behind Heung Min-Son and Mohamed Salah. After the Red Devils failed to qualify for the Champions League, Ronaldo announced his intention to leave the club in July, with only a week until the start of pre-season.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was granted leave for “family reasons,” but did not return until the end of the month, ahead of United’s final friendly against Rayo Vallecano. That was his last pre-season game, but it was enough to earn Ronaldo a starting spot in their first league match against Brighton.

The Red Devils had a horrible start to the season, losing to the Seagulls and Brentford and sitting at the bottom of the table ahead of their encounter against Liverpool. Erik ten Hag decided to shake things up, and Ronaldo was dropped alongside Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, and Fred as United sought to improve their fortunes. It was a wise decision, as the Red Devils prevailed 2-1.

Since then, the Red Devils have won their next three league games and are currently in the European places ahead of the Manchester derby. Despite not starting any of those games, Ronaldo could be called up to the Premier League starting lineup after Marcus Rashford suffered an injury prior to the international break.

Ronaldo scored his first goal of the season in United’s final game before the break, when they defeated Sherriff in the Europa League, scoring from the penalty spot. This could persuade Ten Hag to start him against City if Rashford is ruled out and Anthony Martial is still not ready.

Ten Hag is in a difficult situation since he could play Bruno Fernandes as a ‘false-nine’ and bring Fred back into midfield to make United more compact with Antony and Jadon Sancho out wide. Similarly, he might bring Anthony Elanga back in and shift Jadon Sancho up front, causing City difficulties with his pace. However, considering his expertise and knowledge in important games, Ronaldo appears to be the obvious choice.

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