daniel chigunwe
MANCHESTER. — Cristiano Ronaldo complained of a hip injury and flew to Portugal — after being axed from Manchester United’s team for their derby defeat.
The superstar was stunned to be told by boss Ralf Rangnick he would not be starting against Manchester City.
Rangnick said he wanted fresh legs for the match and that he believed Ronaldo could make an impact from the bench.
But the United legend insisted he could do that from the start and was furious at being axed.
It is believed he hopes to help his injury with warm weather in his homeland.
SunSport understands his team-mates were surprised he did not stay at the team hotel on Saturday night.
Ronaldo is now reportedly using his break in Portugal to plan for a transfer away from the club in the summer.
According to footballtransfers.com, the Red Devils forward is ready to quit the club for a move to Paris Saint-Germain if they fail to qualify for the Champions League at the end of this current campaign.
Ronaldo raised a few eyebrows by missing the defeat to Manchester City at the weekend, with The Athletic claiming his absence surprised some of his team-mates.
It now seems that the 37-year-old is using this time away to plan his future, with PSG his preferred destination if Manchester United miss out on the top four this term.
Ronaldo hasn’t quite been at his best for a lot of his second spell at Old Trafford, and it might be best for everyone involved if he moves on for a new challenge.
Although Ronaldo undoubtedly remains loved by United fans, it might be that he’s a distraction from their focus on building a new-look side and trying more fresh ideas.
If the Portugal international did join PSG, it would be truly thrilling to see him alongside his long-time nemesis Lionel Messi.
The 37-year-old had been feeling positive in training last week and was looking forward to the Etihad clash with City.
But United interim-boss Rangnick was told by the club’s medical department on Friday that Ronaldo had a hip flexor injury.
Rangnick reaffirmed his faith in Manchester United’s medical department and insisted he could not select a player who felt unable to play after the high-profile absence of Ronaldo in Sunday’s defeat at Manchester City.
Rangnick confirmed Ronaldo, who did not travel with the United squad to the Etihad Stadium, was ruled out of the 187th Manchester derby with an injury to his hip flexor.
Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane questioned the veracity of Ronaldo’s injury before kick-off, saying: “We talk about Ronaldo being a machine and very rarely getting injured . . . it doesn’t add up to me.”
Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, also appeared to question the 37-year-old’s absence before the match by liking an Instagram post claiming he is not injured and was dropped by Rangnick.
Speaking after the United’s chastening 4-1 defeat to City, Rangnick responded to Keane’s claims: “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.”
Striker Edinson Cavani was also missing after apparently not feeling well enough to play after his recent groin problem.
Asked when they would return, Rangnick said: “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.”
Rumours began to swirl on social media on Saturday night that Ronaldo had pulled out of the squad. — The Sun
Online Reporter