All eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo to see how he will perform against Manchester City at the Etihad but surprisingly, the multiple Ballon d’Or winner was missing on Sunday due to a hip injury.
Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw were also major absentees but the defensive duo has picked up COVID which is why they were unavailable. But the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo had suddenly picked up to an injury was suspicious to many, including Roy Keane.
“There seems to be more to the Ronaldo story when a manager comes out and talks about a hip flexor… I don’t get it,” Keane told Sky Sports ahead of the match, as quoted.
“We talk about Ronaldo being a machine and very rarely getting injured but every now and again he comes out with that… a hip flexor? It doesn’t add up to me.
“It’s a surprise to hear Ronaldo has a hip injury but United have pace, quality. They still have important players and they still have to come out and play with pride.”
Why was Cristiano Ronaldo missing against Manchester City?
After the match, Rangnick had come out to clarify that the doctors had informed him on Friday that CR7 would not be able to play against Manchester City.
The Man United boss said after the match: “I have to believe my medical department,
“Our doctor came to see me Friday morning before training and said Cristiano could not train because of some problems with his hip flexor and the same Saturday”.
Ralf Rangnick on Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury: “I have to believe my medical department”, he told @DiscoMirror 🔴 #MUFC
“Our doctor came to see me Friday morning before training and said Cristiano could not train because of some problems with his hip flexor and the same Saturday”. pic.twitter.com/S9PVvKDOu7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 6, 2022
Earlier on Sunday, there were reports that Cristiano Ronaldo was not injured but he had actually refused to be part of the matchday squad because he was not supposed to start on Sunday(due to tactical reasons).
Immediately this news spread like wildfire and everyone was choosing sides in terms of Ronaldo’s sportsmanship. Since this news broke out, many people have shared this but it looks like this report was initially posted by an Instagram account with a large number of social media followers.
Well, it looks like a random social media account has been able to cause hysteria regarding Ronaldo’s absence but The Athletic has gone on to make it clear that Cristiano Ronaldo does have an injury which is why he was missing at the Etihad.
Manchester United suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals and why this was an embarrassing defeat but many think Ronaldo wouldn’t have made too much of a difference.
