Ralf Rangnick has kept his cards close to his chest over whether Cristiano Ronaldo will come straight back into the Manchester United starting eleven for the trip to Everton this weekend.
The Red Devils swap Manchester for Merseyside in what is a huge clash for both sides and their respective Champions League qualification or Premier League survival hopes. United go into the clash following a disappointing home display against Leicester City last time out that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Ronaldo missed the game against the Foxes through illness and his absence was sorely felt by a United side who lacked any kind of clear direction going forward. Bruno Fernandes was utilised in a role similar to where his Portugal teammate would usually be, but failed to make the grade.
Rangnick has since confirmed that Ronaldo is fit to feature at Goodison Park, but stopped short of confirming whether the 37-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner would start from the off against the Toffees. It was a bleak fitness update for full-back Luke Shaw as well, after his injury last weekend.
"Cristiano [Ronaldo] is back again," the interim manager said. "Luke [Shaw] is still injured. He will be out for the next two or three weeks." It was a similar story for three other first team regulars. "[Edinson] Cavani is still injured, [Raphael] Varane is still injured and the same is true with [Scott] McTominay."
The fixture between United and Everton earlier this term was the first to see Ronaldo be dropped from the starting line-up since his triumphant return to the club last summer. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faced intense scrutiny for leaving the iconic number seven on the bench.
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The game eventually finished 1-1, with Andros Townsend cancelling out Anthony Martial's effort. After the full-time whistle, footage circulated of legendary figure Sir Alex Ferguson giving his views on Ronaldo's omission to UFC superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov - a friend of the forward's.
"I also think that when they saw Ronaldo wasn't playing," said Ferguson, who was interrupted by Nurmagomedov, who said "He came on in the second-half." United's iconic former manager responded: "I know, but you should always start with your best players."
Solskjaer was out of a job less than two months later and while Rangnick's reign is likely to finish at the end of the season, he'll know starting Ronaldo surely improves United's faint hopes of Champions League qualification after he confessed there is no margin for error.
