The Red Devils will have to play without the services of the Portuguese superstar against their city rivals.
Manchester United will face Manchester City in a crunch Premier League battle on Sunday. The Red Devils hoped to close the 19-point gap between the two sides, but they have suffered a massive injury blow hours before the game.
According to the Athletic, Cristiano Ronaldo is not part of United’s squad for the upcoming derby. The English outlet claims Edinson Cavani will also miss the game, leaving Ralf Rangnick with Marcus Rashford as his only centre-forward.
This is a huge blow for the Red Devils, who have struggled with consistency in their frontline in recent weeks. Ronaldo is currently United’s top-scorer this season with 15 goals in his 30 appearances for the English giants.
The former Real Madrid has, however, suffered a sudden dip in form lately. He has scored only one goal in his last ten games for the Red Devils, with fans criticizing him for missing a few outrageous goalscoring opportunities.
Rangnick, who is preparing to experience his first Manchester derby, addressed Ronaldo’s recent struggles on Friday.
“A few things that have happened in the last couple of months that couldn’t have been foreseen by anybody,” the German tactician said.
The club is yet to clarify the severity of Ronaldo’s new injury. Until the five-time Ballon d’Or winner returns, we will most likely see Rashford and youngster Anthony Elanga compete for the number 9 spot in United’s lineup.
Man City were the bookies’ favourites to win the derby, even before the news of Ronaldo’s injury broke out. The new development will undoubtedly increase their chances to bag another victory in their ongoing title race with Liverpool.
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