Cristiano Ronaldo played no part in Manchester United’s 4-1 defeat against rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
The Portuguese megastar was ruled out of last weekend’s blockbuster derby in the Premier League due to an injury to his hip flexor.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick confirmed Ronaldo would not be featuring and then after the game revealed the club’s doctors advised him to leave out the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
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However, while Rangnick has remained adamant that Ronaldo’s exclusion was purely due to injury, according to a recent report from The Athletic, the 37-year-old’s decision to leave the country left the club’s dressing room stunned.
It has been reported that Ronaldo made a last-minute decision to fly to his native Portugal meaning he was not present for his teammate’s crushing 4-1 thumping against Manchester City.
One person who was sceptical over the legitimacy of the former Real Madrid attacker’s absence was ex-club captain Roy Keane.
Speaking to Sky Sports before Sunday’s Manchester derby kick-off, Keane, who made 471 appearances for United, said: “We talk about Ronaldo being a machine, very rarely injured then every now and again he comes out with “hip flexor” it doesn’t add up to me.”
🗣 “We talk about Ronaldo being a machine, very rarely injured then every now and again he comes out with “hip flexor” it doesn’t add up to me.”
Roy Keane questions the exclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo from the Man United team pic.twitter.com/1WuYGB2ObG
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) March 6, 2022
Worst decision, and that’s saying something for post Fergie Man Utd, was bringing Ronaldo back!
He’s completely lost interest now he realises how far away Utd are and it isn’t right or fair in the fans.
I’d get shot of him asap and let him take Cavani, Poga, Fred, AWB, Maguire with him…
Well said Roy, too many bang average players….