Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick issues fitness update on forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford
Speaking after his side’s 2-2 draw away at Aston Villa in the Premier League, Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick admitted he does not know whether star forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford will be available for their next game against Brentford (h/t Manchester Evening News).
The duo missed last night’s game at Villa Park through injury, although Rangnick had expected Ronaldo to recover in time to make an appearance against the Villans. The Portuguese superstar has been sidelined with a hip flexor injury.
With the club expected to play Brentford next in midweek, Rangnick’s forwards now face a race against time to be fit for their upcoming game, although the German did not have much information about their potential return.
“Well, I expected them back today. They were not available and, therefore, we have to wait and see what the situation will be like for Wednesday.”
Rangnick would have loved to have his two stars available for the game vs Villa last night, after his side were pegged back to a 2-2 draw in the end after squandering a two-goal lead against the opponent. The second half was screaming out for more goals from this United side, as the Villans stepped up their tempo and fought back to cut down United’s comfortable lead.
Ronaldo especially, was a big miss for the Red Devils last night. The former Real Madrid man also missed the previous victory over Villa in the FA Cup on Monday night, but had trained ahead of the league game against the Villans before being ruled out through injury.
United’s German boss spoke about Ronaldo’s availability for the match against Brentford, saying they would assess the situation before making a call on including the Portuguese in his plans for Wednesday’s game.
“I spoke to him after the training session and we decided it makes no sense to just travel without knowing if he could play, so we will see what the situation is like tomorrow and if he will be available on Wednesday.”
Despite a commanding first-half at Villa Park where United went into the break with a lead, the Red Devils struggled to impose themselves in the game during the second half as Aston Villa clawed back to claim a point in the last 15 minutes of the game. The game looked well and done after Bruno Fernandes scored his second goal of the night to give United a two-goal lead in the second half, but Villa sent waves and waves of attack into the United box to snatch a draw at the end.
Once again this season, we struggled to take control of the entire game and dropped crucial points in a bid to climb up the table after last night’s performance. Had Ronaldo and Rashford been fit, we could have used their attacking capabilities to score more goals to take an impressive lead that Aston Villa would struggle to fight back against.
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Ronaldo has been expectedly among the goals this season, and although Rashford has struggled for form this campaign, the Englishman can be relied on to change the course of the game in a flash with his abilities. If available for last night’s game despite not being fully fit, the duo could have relied on to make an impact even from the bench and keep United’s lead intact.
For now, we can hope for good news on Wednesday and potentially see the return of Ronaldo, who had even trained ahead of last night’s league game before being ruled out through injury, and assume Rashford makes a quick turnaround with his injury news.
