Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic has revealed a huge blow for Manchester United ahead of the Manchester derby with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani ruled out through injury.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani Out of Manchester Derby in Massive Blow For Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo out of Manchester derby. Edinson Cavani also not fit for squad.
Leaves Marcus Rashford as only recognised forward. Possibility Bruno Fernandes as false nine.
@TheAthleticUK #MUFChttps://t.co/BKZFY1u0gf
— Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) March 6, 2022
Double Trouble
Ralf Rangnick would have been wanting a clean bill of health for all of his squad ahead of the Manchester derby at the Etihad stadium but instead has suffered two blows at once.
The interim boss at Old Trafford had been hoping for the return of Cavani to the squad but the Uruguayan has now been ruled out. To add to that, it has now been confirmed that Ronaldo also misses out through injury leaving Rangnick with threadbare options in attack.
Pressure on Marcus Rashford to Deliver
The news means that the pressure will be on Marcus Rashford to deliver as he is the only recognised centre forward at Rangnick’s disposal. Rashford has been far from prolific of late, though, and his last goal came in United’s 1-0 league win over West Ham United on January 22nd. Rangnick has faith in the England international though, having previously discussed Rashford’s “abundant talent.”
Ronaldo Absence a Huge Blow
Ronaldo’s absence can only be seen as a huge blow for United and a bonus for Manchester City who will be looking to re-extend their lead over title rivals Liverpool back to six points. Ronaldo has come in for criticism from a number of quarters but is still United’s top scorer with 15 goals scored in 30 appearances across all competitions. With that said, he has only managed one goal in 2022 so far which came in his side’s 2-0 home win against Brighton and Hove Albion on February 15th. The lack of goals from his team has caused Rangnick concern as he explained that it’s not just Ronaldo having a dry spell:
“It is not only an issue with Cristiano, it’s also an issue with all the other players”.
The match will be Rangnick’s first Manchester derby and if it wasn’t already going to be a huge task, it has now got even harder.
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