Confirmed : Cristiano Ronaldo is ruled OUT of today's crunch Manchester derby because of this .

  

Edinson Cavani is also not expected to 

be included in the matchday squad, leaving 

Ralf Rangnick's side short on attacking 

alternatives. 

Due to a dearth of choices, Marcus 

Rashford is set to play down the middle 

unless he opts for Bruno Fernandes 

as a false nine. 

Only one of those objectives was met 

in 2022. Ronaldo has only scored once 

in his past ten games, a well-taken long-range

 goal in a 2-0 home win over Brighton & 

Hove Albion on February 15. 

With both Ronaldo and Cavani missing

, Rashford will be handed the opportunity

 to shine in the middle, according to 

The Athletic. 

Since a 1-0 win over West Ham United

 in January, the England international

 has not scored.