Cristiano Ronaldo's Sister Questions Ralf Rangnick's Decision to Bench Him Against Man City

Cristiano Ronaldo might have made Man United the champions of England and Europe during his first spell at Old Trafford. But since his return, things have gone awry. Even pundits are divided over him: some claim that he's an invaluable mentor for young Red Devils whereas others have called him a divisive force in the dressing room.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has never liked Manchester United's interim boss Ralf Rangnick, finding the German's style of game uninspiring, and apparently he has even lobbied against Rangnick being appointed the club's long-term manager.

Though their relationship was strained, Rangnick and CR7 refrained from slinging mud at each other in public.

But the status of their partnership changed dramatically on Sunday, when the 63-year-old coach excluded the legendary footballer from United's starting XI against defending Premier League champions Man City.

Rangnick's decision, however, backfired after his men suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat to City at the Etihad Stadium.

However, Rangnick had no qualms about dropping Ronaldo from the game and insisted that he had no choice but to leave him out of the squad because he had a hip problem.

"My doctor came to see me on Friday morning before training and told me Cristiano Ronaldo cannot train because of some problems with his hip flexor, and the same was true on Saturday and that's why he couldn't be part of the squad," Rangnick stated.

He was speaking after the weekend match against the Citizens.

But there were many who didn't agree with his decision, including Ronaldo's sister, the singer Katia Aveiro, as she reacted to a social media post which had raised suspicions over Rangnick's move.

"Ronaldo was at 100 percent, he didn't play simply because of technical and tactical reasons," the post's caption on Instagram read.

Meanwhile, rumours over the relationship between Ronaldo and Rangnick have gone wild in the world of football, after the Funchal-born player chose to head to Portugal rather than staying in Manchester for the match against City.

According to British daily The Sun, Ronaldo left for Portugal because Rangnick's decision had infuriated him, especially after he showed signs of being completely fit during training sessions leading up to the match.

However, the former Real Madrid hitman could be back in United's line-up this Saturday when the Red Devils will square-off against Tottenham in a Premier League game.