Cristiano Ronaldo due to miss Manchester United training with ongoing hip problem
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to miss training once again due to his ongoing injury issue, putting his availability for the Tottenham Hotspur clash this weekend in doubt.
The Portuguese forward was ruled out of last weekend’s Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium due to a hip flexor problem, as his side went down brutally to Manchester City in a 4-1 drubbing to put them in fifth place in the Premier League table.
This news of him missing training once again today follows up reports of the player skipping sessions with the team on Friday after reporting his injury to staff, and then subsequently flying out to his native Portugal.
Ronaldo himself has been out of form since the turn of the new year, unable to finish off chances created by his teammates and often looking frustrated in attack. With ace striker Edinson Cavani injured for the majority of the season, the responsibility of scoring has fallen solely on the former Real Madrid man.
Doubt for Tottenham clash
It is said that the No. 7 has been playing with some pain in his hip for the last couple of months, which could be why the player has looked unlike himself of late. If that is truly the case, we hope he makes a quick recovery.
Although the Portugal skipper was back yesterday to attend a session at Carrington, he did not train with the group. Now, he is due to miss today’s training session as well, putting his availability for Saturday’s game against Spurs in doubt.
The upcoming game against Tottenham is crucial for us in the context of the top four race in the Premier League. We are already lagging behind in fifth place, but a defeat to Spurs could more or less seal our fate. The Lilywhites also have two games in hand and a win on the weekend will hand them the initiative to chase down Arsenal.
Man United are already in danger of missing out on a UCL qualification spot with Arsenal sitting pretty in fourth place with three matches in hand. Ronaldo’s fitness concerns are the last thing the side needs towards the business end of the season.
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Last time around, the ex-Juventus star scored a magnificent volley to condemn Antonio Conte’s side to a 3-0 home defeat. His absence would be a big loss to us this weekend in a game that we absolutely have to win.
We will have to wait till interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s pre-match press conference on Friday to know whether Ronaldo will be declared fit to face Spurs. If he is ruled out of the game, then perhaps it may be time for Marcus Rashford to step up and lead the line on Saturday.