Rijo Sam Daniel
Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo could miss the derby against Manchester City
According to The Sun, Manchester United superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo could miss out on the derby match against Manchester City, which will take place later today. His side will be travelling to Etihad Stadium as Ralf Rangnick faces his biggest challenge so far.
Ronaldo was an absentee in the pre-match routine as he did not arrive at the team hotel. Rangnick and 21 other players were seen to be present at the Lowry Hotel on Friday night. The Portuguese legend did take part in the training session on Wednesday and had not suffered any injuries since then. The reason for this situation is still unknown, but there are doubts about his availability as a result.
Ronaldo was not the only one to be absent, as Edinson Cavani, Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw were also not seen to be alongside the team. It remains to be seen whether the Red Devils quartet will be injury concerns for the Premier League fixture later today or not as the kick-off time draws close.
Worrying signs?
We cannot know for sure the reason behind the Portuguese international’s absence at this stage. That being said, the Man United manager may have given us a hint about it in the build-up to the league clash. He had provided some updates on the squad, which could give us an insight into this case.
Speaking about Cavani, the interim boss revealed that the centre-forward has returned to training after being out of contention for so long. However, the coach could decide to take it slow for that same reason. After all, a relapse is the last thing we would want under the current circumstances.
More importantly, the German coach had mentioned that there are “question marks” about certain players within the team. He did not reveal any specifics, but perhaps the ones that did not arrive at the team hotel could be argued to be in that category.
Cavani was an absentee alongside Ronaldo and the defensive duo, so it would not be surprising to see that going by this theory. But we hope that is not the case, as the team could be forced into a precarious situation due to their lack of involvement.
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After all, it leaves us thin in terms of options in the attacking department and the defensive side of things. Let’s wait and see how this situation will pan out when the team sheet gets released ahead of the derby match.
Ronaldo has been one of our standout performers in a season where we have often come out short. Missing a player of his ability against a side such as Man City does not bode well. With or without him, the Red Devils will hopefully rally to secure all three points on the night.
