Cristiano Ronaldo must step up in Man United’s time of need and show Man City what they missed out on

In an atmosphere of leaks, sniping and mistrust, the moment of truth is looming for Manchester United. And Cristiano Ronaldo is where he wants to be, the central figure in the drama.

Ralf Rangnick’s team face Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday in a derby that is crucial to both sides. Hold on. Let’s rewind. The words “Ralf Rangnick’s team” are so patently a perversion of reality as to be unusable.

Let’s start again. The mismatched squad of players with competing interests who are available to the German manager cannot afford to drop points against their neighbours. United are fourth in the Premier League but for now the table lies. Arsenal – and even Tottenham Hotspur – can leapfrog them if the London clubs win their games in hand.

All the whispers coming out of Old Trafford point to elevated levels of dysfunction. Ronaldo’s unhappiness with the work habits and ethics of the younger players has been made clear. The Portuguese and his allies in the dressing-room’s “Iberian group” are not impressed with some of their English colleagues. Harry Maguire is increasingly becoming the focus of finger pointing – and not without reason. No one is impressed with Rangnick’s training and management style.

As if that is not bad enough, Richard Arnold, the chief executive, is showing signs of following in the tradition of Ed Woodward, his predecessor. There is no clear strategy at the club. Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with the manager’s job repeatedly but there is no real conviction that the Paris Saint-Germain boss is the right man. The latest name thrown into the mix is Carlo Ancelotti, who is just about the worst fit for a team in this state.

The Italian is one of the finest modern managers but he is a finisher rather