Medical expert warns of ‘smoke and mirrors’ at Man United after Ronaldo pictures emerge
Cristiano Ronaldo is “fully expected” to be part of the Man United matchday squad as they face Brentford tonight.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Ronaldo was absent for the Red Devils’ double-header against Aston Villa with a hip injury but is training ahead of today’s (19 January) clash with Brentford.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner took to Instagram to reveal his return to full training on Monday.
As per Man United club media, manager Ralf Rangnick claimed in his pre-match press conference (18 January) that Ronaldo and teammate Marcus Rashford “could be available” for the away clash depending on their training level.
Dinnery warned of “smoke and mirrors” surrounding training photos released by players and clubs.
“It’s fairly minor, this one,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“One thing to note is that a return to training isn’t always a return to play.
“However, in this instance, I fully expect Ronaldo to be a part of that matchday squad.
“I’m always wary of images coming from the training group. Is it coming from a personal account or the club’s photographers?
“A lot of it is smoke and mirrors. There is no context given whatsoever. With this one with Ronaldo, it’s a minor issue and there’s nothing to worry about there.
“But we have seen it with long-term problems. Photos don’t tell you anything about what’s going on in a player’s recovery.
“I’d tell people to be wary and take it with a pinch of salt when you see things from training. Maybe not all is as it seems.”
In other news, pundit suggests Anthony Martial has “disrespected” Man United fans after “horrible” Sky Sports update today.