Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of “always [being] on the run” and former club Juventus “do not miss him” after his blockbuster transfer to Manchester United last summer.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner stunned the world after he made a deadline-day return to Old Trafford, with United paying an initial £12.9m transfer fee to Juventus.
Ronaldo, who is under contract until 2023, made an immediate impact on his return to United and has scored 15 times in 30 appearances for the Red Devils this season.
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However, United have struggled to maintain consistency this season and club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last November after a poor run of results.
Ralf Rangnick was appointed as interim manager until the end of the season, with the Red Devils facing an uphill task in securing a Premier League top-four finish.
Ronaldo, 37, was absent from the Manchester derby on Sunday due to a hip injury, as Manchester City thrashed the Red Devils 4-1 at the Etihad.
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However, Ronaldo’s absence from the City defeat has raised questions among fans after his sister Katia Aveiro liked an Instagram post claiming he was not injured and was dropped by Rangnick.
Gazzetta dello Sport transfer expert Carlo Laudisa spoke out on the United superstar’s situation at Old Trafford and how he is not missed at Juventus.
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“CR7 is always on the run,” he wrote on Instagram.
“In August, he ran away from Turin to seek glory to United. Now he runs away from Manchester. Does he have regrets? Juventus certainly do not miss him.”
Juventus initially struggled to plug the goalscoring threat that Ronaldo provided during the early stages of their 2021-22 Serie A campaign.
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However, the Old Lady splashed out a hefty £66.6m transfer fee to sign Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina in the January window.
Vlahovic has provided Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri with a much-needed attacking option, with the 22-year-old scoring four times in eight appearances.
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Speaking ahead of the Manchester derby, United legend Roy Keane was perplexed by the absence of Ronaldo and claimed that it “doesn’t add up.”
Ronaldo’s former teammate said on Sky Sports: “It's a surprise to hear Ronaldo has a hip injury but United have pace, quality. [Anthony] Elanga is a really good, positive player who makes intelligent runs.
“There seems to be more to the Ronaldo story when a manager comes out and talks about a hip flexor. I don’t get it.
“We talk about Ronaldo being a machine and very rarely getting injured but every now and again he comes out with that... a hip flexor? It doesn’t add up to me.”
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, England, Premier League, Juventus, Serie A, Italy, Football
Adnan Riaz