Cristiano Ronaldo left out of squad for Manchester derby

Manchester United will be without Cristiano Ronaldo for this evening's derby meeting with Manchester City. Diario AS understands that the Portuguese forward will not form part of Ralf Rangnick's line-up for the game. It is a key absence for a crucial game for both clubs. While Cristiano isn't in his best moment of form, he remains the team's top scorer with 15 goals in all competitions and he has only missed one game due to injury this season.

Difficult 2022 for Cristiano

At 37, Cristiano is at a complex moment in his career - he has hardly found the net at all in 2022. In United's last game, he played the full 90 minutes, but failed to score. His only goal since the start of the New year was against Brighton on 15 February. He has been substituted by Rangnick on numerous occasions, usually in the second half - and has looked visibly annoyed whenever he has been taken off.

According to UK outlets, Cristiano was not among the 21 United players who arrived at Manchester's Lowry Hotel on Saturday night - the squad's usual base ahead of a home game. Although there is a possibility that he has been granted permission to miss the game - that seems unlikely considering it is being played in Manchester and not away from home. Cristiano will miss a key game, as will the injured Cavani. United need to win to remain in touch with the other three teams chasing the fourth Champions League berth while City are equally in need of a win after Liverpool reduced the distance at the top of the table to just three points after beating West Ham yesterday.