'Furious' Ronaldo Flies to Portugal After Being 'Benched' Ahead of Manchester Derby - Media
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Rumours went rampant on social media on Saturday night ahead of the 187th Manchester derby between Man City and Man United at the Etihad Stadium when it became known that Cristiano Ronaldo would be benched by the Red Devils squad.
Furious over being benched ahead of Manchester United’s face-off against Man City, Cristiano Ronaldo complained of a hip injury and flew to Portugal, reported The Sun.
he football legend had purportedly been informed by Ralf Rangnick, the interim manager of the British Premier League club Man United, that he would not be starting the match at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Rangnick is cited as saying he was told by the club’s medical department on Friday that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was suffering a hip flexor injury.
“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,” Rangnick insisted after his team’s derby defeat, 4-1.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City had been eager to reopen their six-point lead over second-placed Liverpool in the Premier League table. Meanwhile, Ralf Rangnick's Red Devils were hoping to keep their next season Champions League hopes alive.
The Portuguese Manchester United forward reportedly insisted he could impact the Red Devils’ match from the start. However, after failing to sway Rangnick, he flew off, ostensibly in the hopes that warm weather in his homeland could help his injury.
According to the outlet, Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammates were taken aback that he did not stay at the team hotel on Saturday night. It is believed that the 37-year-old striker had been feeling optimistic throughout last week’s training and was looking forward to the derby.
Also conspicuously absent in the match was striker Edinson Cavani, after apparently not feeling well enough to play in the wake of his groin problem. Rangnick was grilled over when the forwards would be returning, telling journalists:
“I don’t know. I was hoping to have them available for this game. We have two important games coming up against Spurs and Atletico and we have to focus on that.”
‘Tactical Move’
This explanation comes as it was earlier speculated that Cristiano Ronaldo was not injured, and had asked to be left out of the squad after learning he would be benched.
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Watford - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - February 26, 2022 Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after missing a chance to score
© REUTERS / CRAIG BROUGH
The rumours had been triggered by an Instagram social media account - cr7.0_lendario - that Ronaldo himself follows.
“Manchester United’s manager wants to enter with a different strategy in tomorrow’s game and has chosen to defend himself more, a purely tactical choice. Ronaldo won’t even be on the bench,” claimed the post, that was apparently liked by Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro.
Ronaldo had started Man United's last five games. Ahead of the match, Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was quoted by Sky Sports as saying:
“I don’t like it when the manager talks about this ‘hip flexor’. I don’t get it. We talk about Ronaldo being a machine, then every now and again he comes out with ‘hip flexor’. It doesn’t add up.”
In a comment to The Sun, Cristiano Ronaldo’s representatives confirmed that it was an injury that was keeping the athlete off the field.
