Cristiano Ronaldo flew to Portugal a day before Manchester derby - Reports

Cristiano Ronaldo missed the Manchester derby last night as Pep Guardiola's side beat Manchester United 4-1 on Sunday at the Etihad followers. The 37-year-old reportedly failed to recover completely from his hip flexor problem.

With both Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani ruled out, interim boss Ralf Rangnick had to make some last-minute adjustments to his side. Cavani had trained for three straight days leading up to the derby but failed to start for the Red Devils.

Despite only having Marcus Rasford as the recognized striker, Rangnick opted to go with Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho up front.

The move did not work in their favor as Manchester City humiliated them with a staggering 4-1 scoreline.

According to The Athletic, Ronaldo was not even in England when his team were beaten 4-1 by City. The 37-year-old had left for Portugal once he realised he will not be fit in time to face Pep Guardiola's side.

Cristiano Ronaldo should have stayed for his side

If the news of Ronaldo's departure is accurate, it does not reflect well on Manchester United. Ronaldo is one of the leaders in the dressing room. Regardless of his playing situation, he should have been in and around his squad ahead of their big derby against City.

Some pundits like Roy Keane have even questioned the authenticity of Ronaldo's injury. They believe that since it looks poor to bench a star player like Ronaldo, managers will tend to create an injury situation to avoid conflict amongst fans and in the media.

Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in 30 games for Manchester United. However, his goals have dried up of late, with the Portuguese only scoring once in his last 10 games.

Finally, even if fans were to believe that Cristiano Ronaldo was injured, it would have been better for the team's morale had he stayed with the squad. He is an inspiration and a leader and United lacked that in plenty on Sunday.