Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United stars tune up for derby showdown - in pictures

Manchester United face a critical few weeks as they head towards the business end of the season - starting with the trip to bitter rivals Manchester City on Sunday.

United follow that crunch derby by hosting Tottenham, and then their crucial Champions League second leg against Atletico Madrid, with the tie in the balance after the first leg in Spain finished 1-1.

March rounds off for United with the small matter of a trip to Liverpool, but it was the trip to the Etihad that was occupying Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and the rest of the Old Trafford stars as they were put through their paces by interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

The German boss will be looking for an improvement on their last showing, a 0-0 draw with relegation-threatened Watford at Old Trafford.

United sit in fourth in the Premier League ahead of West Ham, but sixth-placed Arsenal are only two points behind with two games in hand.

Pictures of the United stars training can be seen in the gallery above. To see the next image, just swipe.