Would he really do that? Would he really leave out Cristiano Ronaldo out of the city derby with Manchester City and then announce it was because of the injury? Is Ralf Rangnick really that kind of person? It seems there are more questions than answers in the latest saga between the Portuguese and his interim coach. But one thing remains as a fact – this is not the first time that the German tactician and his players had opposite statements in the media. The only difference this time is that no reply from Ronaldo, at least an official one, came to light. But there was a big unofficial reply – Cristiano left for Portugal on a private plane before the derby. ‘Some players only think about their hair – they should never play for United’After accusing Anthony Martial of refusing to play for United and claiming that Jesse Lingaard asked for extra time to ‘clear his head’ after a failed loan move (both claims denied by the players), Ralf Rangnick said that Ronaldo had problems with hip flexor and that’s why he didn’t play, which was not denied or confirmed by the player himself. But there were other signs that something is might not 100% true. This instagram post claims Cristiano Ronaldo is NOT injured and has been dropped for tactical reasons today.CR7’s sister has liked the post. 👀 pic.twitter.com/sedghm1EMy— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) March 6, 2022 Ronaldo’s sister Katia Aveiro liked an Instagram post which included a rant denying that the former Real Madrid forward had been left out because of injury issues. And then, Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane added more ‘fuel to the story.“I just don’t like it when the manager Ralf Rangnick talks about this hip flexor, I don’t get it. We talk about Ronaldo being some sort of machine, he’s very rarely injured and then every now and again he comes out with something that and says hip flexor. It doesn’t add up to me” said Keane. PLAYER RATINGS: Is this really a derby? Pale United crushed by the CitizensBut it was actually Ronaldo’s before the derby gesture with left everybody stunned, especially his teammates. Being injured or not, it was expected that Cristiano would attend the match in order to support his teammates in a big game against their city rivals. According to multiply sources, United’s players were ‘surprised’ by the decision and felt his presence would have been beneficial.(1.63) TOTTENHAM (3.80) EVERTON (6.50)Ronaldo has come in for some stick recently – but he remains United’s top scorer this season, netting 15 times in 31 appearances in all competitions. But, when you look at those number in detail they reveal he only only scored once in 2022, in a 2-0 victory over Brighton on February 15th.
