Manchester United chief Ralf Rangnick left Roy Keane and Gary Neville stunned after choosing to deploy a false nine instead of calling on Marcus Rashford for the Manchester derby.
Ronaldo was ruled out of the crunch clash against Manchester City with a hip flexor issue; an absence that led to both Keane and Neville talking up Rashford's qualities ahead of the game.
However, Rangnick instead elected to throw Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga into the mix, with Bruno Fernandes expected to lead the line as a false forward.
The move caught Keane and Neville off guard - just after Keane had backed Rashford to cause Pep Guardiola's side problems.
And it was a move that ultimately came back to haunt Rangnick after United were thumped 4-1 by their noisy neighbours.
"It does give an opportunity for people like Rashford to come in and have an influence," Keane told Sky Sports before United's starting XI was confirmed.
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"He’s not been consistent enough but the type of game would play out, City will dominate possession 60-70% possession and it’ll give United opportunities using space, the right type of run, quality of people picking them out, of course it’ll cause problems."
And Neville was also of the opinion that Rashford's inclusion would have boosted United's prospects of pinching a result at the Etihad.
The former United right-back highlighted how any success United have had against City in recent years has been down to slick, incisive counter-attacking play; something that Rashford would have been the perfect fit for.
Neville, also speaking before the game, added: "United over the last three or four years have been a counter-attacking team, and that will be exactly the same today I think, with Ronaldo out of the team I think they might be better off with Rashford’s pace on the counter-attack today.
"Rashford’s got to get himself back on track, for the last year, year and a half, he’s not been playing well.
"They shift him to the left, to the right, down the middle, I don’t think he’s settled and grabbed a position, people refer to the off the field stuff whether it’s a distraction or not and he’s had injuries as well to be fair, his authority off the pitch doesn’t transfer onto the pitch for Manchester United.
"He’s done well here in the past (playing at the Etihad), so it’s a big opportunity for him to show his quality again today if he plays."
Rangnick explained his team selection before the Manchester derby and said: "We had two covid cases midweek with Rafa Varane and Luke Shaw. Cristiano had some problems with his hip flexor again on Friday. That is why they are not available.
"We decided with the formation to be as compact as possible and still in transitional moments be able to create chances.
"We have to be compact, always put them under pressure and keep them away from our box and at the same time, when we have possession, to be dangerous on the counter-attack."
While Jadon Sancho did net for United on the counter-attack, Rangnick's tactical surprise did more harm than good after City worked out how to get to grips with their new approach.
And it did little to prevent a second half pasting, as City ran riot at the Etihad to clinch the local bragging rights.
