Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick gives squad update ahead of Atletico Madrid clash
Speaking in his pre-match conference (h/t The Daily Mail) ahead of the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick gave an update on his squad and warned his opponents about Cristiano Ronaldo’s form.
The Red Devils are heading into tomorrow night’s game on the back of a 1-1 draw in the first leg, and will look to seal a win to progress into the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Playing at Old Trafford for the return leg of the Round of 16 tie, Man United will feel confident thanks to having home advantage.
Rangnick also provided a fitness update on the squad, saying that Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes would probably return to training after being ruled out of the Tottenham Hotspur clash due to COVID.
“Luke hopefully will be back in training Monday and Bruno we will have to wait and see until Tuesday. This will probably be a last-minute race with him – due to Covid-19.”
The Old Trafford side will be squaring up Atletico for the return leg of the UCL tie on the back of a thrilling 3-2 win over Spurs on the weekend, with Ronaldo netting a hat-trick to hand his side all three points at home.
“I’m not worried”
The Portugal skipper was in prime form on Saturday as he rolled back the years, scoring twice in the first half and then burying home the winner in the second half with a towering header. It was the forward’s first match back in action since missing the Manchester derby due to injury.
Rangnick said that he was not worried about Ronaldo’s condition for the Atletico clash, saying he knows his body best and warned his opponents that the former Real Madrid man could haunt them again with yet another hat-trick.
“I’m not worried he has not been able to recover. He’s always been a person that looks after himself quite a lot, his body. He knows exactly what to do. I’m not worried about that. If he can score another three goals we’ll see. His overall performance was good, very good and hopefully, we get this from him tomorrow.”
Although Rangnick mentioned that Shaw and Fernandes could return to training soon, there are still no guarantees that the pair could feature against Diego Simeone’s men. Both have been first choice under the German boss this season, and they could be crucial misses tomorrow.
Alex Telles and Paul Pogba operated in the left-back and attacking midfielder positions in place of the COVID-affected duo, and helped the side to a good win against Spurs. If required, the pair could be called up against the Rojiblancos.
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Ronaldo meanwhile, will be looking to continue his exploits at Old Trafford for two games in a row. Atletico are familiar opponents for him, having faced them often during his time at Real Madrid in the past.
The Champions League presents the only chance for United to win some silverware this season, and Ronaldo will be eyeing the big prize in his debut season of the second spell at the club. All eyes will be on the team sheet tomorrow to see who Rangnick picks for the crucial tie.
