Man United take on West Ham United in the Premier League this weekend and all eyes will be on whether Ralf Rangnick names Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting line up or not.
United beat Brentford 3-1 in midweek but in order to defend his team’s lead, the manager opted to take Ronaldo off in the 71st minute. Rangnick sent Harry Maguire onto the pitch in place of the forward but CR7 was clearly not delighted at being taken off.
The forward was visibly annoyed at the substitution and the camera showed that the manager himself had to go to the player to calm him down. There have been whispers that Cristiano Ronaldo was not pleased with this decision but speaking after the match, Ralf Rangnick was pretty transparent that despite Ronaldo’s annoyance there is no bad blood amongst them whatsoever.
“He was asking why me and why do you take me off,” Rangnick explained, as quoted by MEN. “I said, ‘listen, I have to take the decision in the interest of the team and the club and we had exactly the same situation five days ago at Villa Park, being 2-0 up with 15 minutes to play and we didn’t want to make the same mistake again’.
“Cristiano was not happy. He’s a goalscorer, he wished to stay on and maybe score himself. But, for us, it was more important to be compact, that we had enough legs and enough strong headers to defend their free-kicks and set-pieces.
“I didn’t expect him to hug me after being substituted. I know goalscoring players, how they think, and I have to take my decisions in the interests of the team and the club and this is exactly what I told him.
“I have no issues whatsoever with Cristiano but again, he came back from a little injury, he didn’t train for one-and-a-half weeks, and being 2-0 up with 15 minutes to play, having players like Marcus on the bench and even Anthony Martial, why should I not make use of that? And that’s why I would always do it again in a situation like that.
“I’ve been here now for six weeks, I’ve never had any kind of issue with Cristiano. We spoke before the Cup game against Aston Villa, and before the league game against Aston Villa he had an issue with his hip flexor and we agreed between the two of us it would be better that he has no problems with that kind of injury anymore, that’s why he was not part of the squad in those two games.
3 important points! well done lads 💪🏽👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/nzPNhrdIAi
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) January 19, 2022
“Today, he was available today and that’s why I played him from the start. No issues whatsoever. For the future, the most important thing is we win games and this is first.”
Will Cristiano Ronaldo start against West Ham United?
Edinson Cavani has picked up a muscle injury and will be out until next month so even if the interim boss is not happy with Ronaldo’s reaction, he has no other option but to use him against West Ham United.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Brentford:
• 71 minutes played.
• 1 shot woodwork.
• 81% pass accuracy.
• 21 accurate Passes.
• 37 touches.
• 5 duels won.
• 1 clearance.
• 1 headed clearance.
• 2 fouls won.
• 1/1 tackle succeeded.
• 2 aeriel duels won.
• 1 recovery. pic.twitter.com/2L5MtfCrNJ— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) January 19, 2022
The reaction was clearly at the heat of the moment which just goes on to show Ronaldo’s hunger to play the full 90 minutes. But after having just returned from an injury, the substitution also was a way of protecting him from further damage.
There’s no doubt CR7 is going to lead the line on Saturday but if Manchester United can pick up a handsome lead before they enter the final quarter of the game then Ralf Rangnick could again opt for a change in formation, thereby taking off Cristiano Ronaldo once again.
Ronaldo hasn’t found the back of the net in the previous two games which is why he’s will be desperate to get back amongst the goals during Saturday’s game vs West Ham United.
