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Cristiano Ronaldo will not play for Manchester United against Liverpool, the Red Devils have confirmed in an official statement. The 37-year-old forward tragically lost his newborn son on Monday, which he announced on his social media handles.
His Twitter post can be seen below:
Due to the unfortunate circumstances, it has now been confirmed that Ronaldo will not feature against the Reds at Anfield. In his absence, the likes of Anthony Elanga, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford could occupy the attacking positions for the Red Devils, with Bruno Fernandes another contender to lead the line as a center-forward.
It is worth mentioning that Fernandes has played the role of a forward on a couple of occasions this season. Rangnick deployed him as a forward in the Manchester derby, which the Red Devils went on to lose 4-1.
Ronaldo recently netted his second hat-trick of the season against Norwich City in a 3-2 win for Manchester United at Old Trafford at the weekend. This has taken the 37-year-old forward's tally to 21 goals in 34 appearances for the club across all competitions.
Ronaldo's goals have given Manchester United an outside chance of making it into the top four of the Premier League. Right now, the Red Devils are fifth in the standings, having amassed 54 points from 32 matches. They are currently three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with six matches remaining.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are battling against Manchester City for the Premier League title. The Reds are second in the table, a point behind the league leaders.
How has Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo faced off against Liverpool?
Cristiano Ronaldo has faced Liverpool on 13 occasions in his illustrious career with Manchester United and Real Madrid. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored just three goals and provided two assists against the Reds.
It is worth mentioning that one of Ronaldo's appearances against Liverpool came in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final in Kiev. Los Blancos secured a 3-1 win on the night, denying Jurgen Klopp his first trophy at Anfield.
Cristiano Ronaldo did feature in Manchester United's 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Reds earlier this season. The forward scored a goal on that occasion, but it was ruled out by VAR.
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