Confirmed : Cristiano Ronaldo and three Manchester United stars absent from squad on eve of derby

  Cristiano Ronaldo's participation 

in Manchester United's derby match against

 City on Sunday is in doubt, after the 

Portuguese star was absent from the team 

that convened on Saturday evening. 

Ralf Rangnick's 21-man squad gathered 

at The Lowry Hotel on the eve of the match, 

as is traditional, although Ronaldo and 

several other important players were not 

among them. 

The 37-year-old has been chastised for 

his recent performances, with only one goal 

in his previous eight league appearances, 

and there had been speculation that he may 

be dropped for the trip to the Etihad. 

But no one anticipated him to be left out 

of the squad entirely, while United is likely 

to lose even more firepower.