Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, Edinson Cavani, and Luke Shaw were not among the 21 Manchester United players who stayed at the Lowry Hotel ahead of their Premier League match against Manchester City.
This could imply that the Portuguese star would miss the Manchester derby against Pep Guardiola's team, according to many foreign media agencies, including the famed La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Manchester Evening News, a British publication, reports that the Red Devils are likely to be without Ronaldo. Cavani, Varane, and Shaw are all absent, in addition to Ronaldo. The Uruguayan is coming off a groyne issue, but coach Ralf Rangnick deemed him fit for the Etihad Stadium match, which is slated for 5.30pm local time.
Internal strife
It's unclear whether Ronaldo and the other big players' absence implies they won't play in the derby, or whether they were given permission to skip the hotel.
Rangnick and Ronaldo have had a rocky relationship, and there have been rumours of multiple clashes in the United locker room in recent weeks. United are now in fourth place in the league, much behind leaders City (19 points adrift after 27 games). Apart from the Champions League (where the second leg of the last 16 is still to be played after a good first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano), the goal for the season is to finish in the top four.
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