Cristiano Ronaldo And Edinson Cavani Out Of Manchester United's 4-1 Defeat To Man City, Ralf Rangnick: I Can't Force Them

Two Manchester United players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani. (Doc. Manchester United official website)

JAKARTA - Manchester United manager, Ralf Rangnick, came under fire when his team lost 1-4 to Manchester City in the English Premier League, last weekend. In that match, Rangnick was considered to be implementing a defensive strategy.

His decision not to play Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani also came under scrutiny.

The man from Germany finally spoke up regarding the absence of the two MU bombers. He admitted, could not force injured players to appear to play.

In fact, the former Schalke 04 coach was frustrated because he couldn't play Cavani and Ronaldo. He said, this is a fact that must be accepted as a manager.

"Does it help if I tell you it's frustrating? It's just a fact, if players tell doctors and the medical department that they are injured and can't play," Ralf Rangnick told Sky Sports, as reported by Antara.

"I have to accept it as a manager. I cannot force a player to play if he is not available because he has an injury," he added.

Especially for Cavani, this Uruguayan player has indeed been absent in the last six Manchester United matches. He last played in early February.

However, Rangnick previously said that Cavani had already started training with the team and could be used in the match against Man City. Unfortunately, the player stated that he was not 100 percent fit to play.

"Edi trained in the last three days, he trained well, but he still felt after the training session that he wasn't fit enough to play," Rangnick said.

"It's a fact and as a manager I can't force a player to play if he doesn't feel fit or good enough to play."