Manchester United interim manager, Michael Carrick, has explained why he benched Cristiano Ronaldo in his side’s Premier League starting XI against Chelsea on Saturday evening at Stamford Bridge.
Carrick named Man United’s starting XI against Chelsea in a post via the club’s Twitter handle and excluded Ronaldo, who scored a goal in their last game against Villarreal in the Champions League.
The former England international said he benched the Portugal captain because he needed to freshen things up in his squad.
Asked why Ronaldo was not starting against Chelsea, Carrack told reporters before the kick-off: “A few tweaks and changes to freshen things up.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is your standout name [to be on the bench]. I have had a good chat with Cristiano and he was great.”
Meanwhile, below is Man United’s starting XI:
De Gea, Lindelof, Bailly, Rashford, Fred, Fernandes, Sancho, Alex Telles, Wan-Bissaka, Matic, McTominay.
Substitutes: Henderson, Dalot, Jones, Lingard, Mata, Van de Beek, Greenwood, Martial and Ronaldo.
