Tensions at Manchester United appear to be increasing after it emerged that Cristiano Ronaldo committed an act of defiance after discovering he had been snubbed by Ralf Rangnick.
Ronaldo was absent from the Red Devils dreadful defeat to Manchester City on Thursday, with Rangnick explaining he had suffered a recurrence of a hip flexor injury.
Without the Portuguese superstar, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Elanga, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes started in the forward positions in a 4-2-2-2 formation.
But United were desperately poor going forward, especially in the second-half, when they failed to have an attempt on City’s goal.
It also became apparent following the game that there was more to Ronaldo’s injury than met the eye, with the attacker having failed to attend the derby in the stands either.
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Instead, Ronaldo is understood to have flown out to his native Portugal, an action that caught his team-mates at Old Trafford off guard.
Following the game, Rangnick insisted that he had only listened to his medical staff when ruling Ronaldo out.
“I have to believe my medical department,” United’s interim boss said.
“My doctor came to see me on Friday morning before training and told me Cristiano Ronaldo cannot train because of some problems with his hip flexor.
“The same was true on Saturday and that's why he couldn't be part of the squad.”
But doubt has arisen over Rangnick’s explanation for Ronaldo’s absence after The Sun reported the attacker’s future at Old Trafford is in ‘serious doubt’.
Rather than a hip flexor injury, the report claims that Rangnick had instead opted to axed the 37-year-old from his starting line-up.
Ronaldo is said to have been left ‘fuming’ by Rangnick’s decision and did not turn up to the scheduled club meal on Saturday.
Instead of attending either the meal or the game, Ronaldo opted to fly home to his native Portugal, with United attempting to explain his absence as an injury.
But the flight in itself was an act of defiance, with The Sun claiming that Rangnick has previously insisted all injured players conduct their rehabilitation in Manchester, not abroad.
Ronaldo has ignored that instruction and the report even states that the club are not yet able to confirm when he would return to Carrington.
Rangnick had given his players Monday off following their hammering at the Etihad, but were expected in for a training session on Tuesday.
The news that Ronaldo defied Rangnick’s instructions will likely come as no surprise to United legend Roy Keane, who had questioned the Portuguese’s absence from the squad that faced City.
“There seems to be more to the Ronaldo story when a manager comes out and talks about a hip flexor. I don’t get it,” he told Sky Sports.
“We talk about Ronaldo being a machine and very rarely getting injured but every now and again he comes out with that… a hip flexor? It doesn’t add up to me.”
