Ronaldo's choice to go to Portugal rather than stay to support Manchester United in their match against Manchester City is alleged to have surprised the Manchester United locker room.
Ronaldo, 37, was ruled out of Sunday's Manchester derby owing to a hip flexor injury, and according to reports, he traveled back to his homeland on Sunday before kick-off at The Etihad stadium.
Some members of the United squad were surprised, according to the report, and thought his inclusion in the matchday squad would have been beneficial.
According to The Athletic, he instead traveled to his native Portugal, shocking his teammates given the importance of the match.
While United does not need injured players to attend games, Ronaldo's teammates believed that his presence would assist them due to his high regard, according to the source.
It follows Sky Sports expert Roy Keane's suggestion that Ronaldo's absence was due to more than simply ailments. Katia, Ronaldo's sister, liked an Instagram post suggesting that he was unharmed, adding fuel to the flames.
The post, which was published by a Ronaldo fan account that is followed by the player himself, stated, 'Cristiano Ronaldo is not wounded and is not sick.' He's completely trustworthy.
'Good morning to those of you disappointed and angry, like me, because Rangnick decided to ruin our Sunday by pulling CR7 from the Manchester City derby for tactical reasons, allowing him to defend himself better in the game.'
United were thrashed by City, the Premier League's leaders, in a brutal performance by Pep Guardiola's side without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez each scored twice as City won all three points. United equalized through Jacho in the first half, but that was the closest they got to putting a glove on their opponents.
Keane, a Sky Sports pundit, was annoyed by his old United teammate's absence from the City match because of the issue.
When asked if there was more to Ronaldo's absence on Sky Sports, he said, "There looks to be something more to Ronaldo's absence on Sky Sports."
'I'm not sure why the manager (Ralf Rangnick) keeps mentioning this hip flexor.'
'We talk about Ronaldo being a machine; he's rarely hurt, but every now and then he'll come out and say hip flexor.' It doesn't add up for me.'
United will play Tottenham Hotspur in a late Saturday kick-off before facing Atletico Madrid in the return Champions League leg.
Ronaldo will now have a week to get back into shape and heal from an injury that has already sidelined him this season.
Ronaldo has 15 goals in 30 appearances for Manchester United this season.
United is presently one point behind Arsenal in fifth place in the Premier League.
Arsenal, on the other hand, has three games in hand on United and a realistic prospect of qualifying for the Champions League in the coming weeks.
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